The men's épée was one of seven fencing events on the fencing at the 1952 Summer Olympics programme. It was the eleventh appearance of the event. The competition was held from 27 July 1952 to 28 July 1952. 76 fencers from 29 nations competed.[1] Nations were limited to three fencers each. The event was won by Edoardo Mangiarotti of Italy, the nation's fourth consecutive victory in the men's épée (passing France for most all-time). It was also the fourth consecutive year that Italy had at least two fencers on the podium in the event, as Edoardo's brother Dario Mangiarotti took silver. Bronze went to Oswald Zappelli of Switzerland. Zappelli and Edoardo Mangiarotti had faced each other in a barrage for silver and bronze medals in 1948, which Zappelli had won; the two men were the fifth and sixth to earn multiple medals in the event.
| Men's épée at the Games of the XV Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Mangiarotti family, including gold medalist Edoardo (center) and silver medalist Dario (left) | ||||||||||
| Venue | Westend Tennis Hall, Espoo | |||||||||
| Dates | 27–28 July | |||||||||
| Competitors | 76 from 29 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Background
This was the 11th appearance of the event, which was not held at the first Games in 1896 (with only foil and sabre events held) but has been held at every Summer Olympics since 1900.[2]
Four of the 10 finalists from the 1948 Games returned: silver medalist Oswald Zappelli of Switzerland, bronze medalist Edoardo Mangiarotti of Italy, eighth-place finisher Émile Gretsch of Luxembourg, and tenth-place finisher Ronald Parfitt of Great Britain. Also competing was Dario Mangiarotti, Edoardo's elder brother, part of the silver medal 1948 Italian team who had to withdraw from the individual event due to injury (his replacement, Luigi Cantone, won gold in the individual competition). The Mangiarotti brothers had each won a World Championship since the London Games, Dario in 1949 and Edoardo in 1951 (making him the reigning World Champion coming into the 1952 Olympics). The 1950 World Champion, Mogens Lüchow of Denmark, also competed.
Australia, Guatemala, Ireland, Japan, the Soviet Union, Venezuela, and Vietnam each made their debut in the event. Belgium and the United States each appeared for the 10th time, tied for most among nations.
Competition format
The competition format was pool play round-robin, with bouts to three touches. Not all bouts were played in some pools if not necessary to determine advancement. Ties were broken through fence-off bouts ("barrages") in early rounds if necessary for determining advancement. Ties not necessary for advancement were either not broken (if at least one fencer had not finished all bouts in the round-robin) or broken first by touches received and then by touches scored. In the final, ties were broken by barrage if necessary for medal placement but otherwise first by touches received and then by touches scored.[3]
Fencers from the four nations that reached the team event final received byes to the quarterfinals.
- Round 1: 8 pools of 8 fencers each. The top 4 fencers in each pool advanced to the quarterfinals.
- Quarterfinals: 5 pools between 8 and 9 fencers each. The top 4 fencers in each pool advanced to the semifinals.
- Semifinals: 2 pools of 10 fencers each. The top 5 fencers in each pool advanced to the final.
- Final: 1 pool of 10 fencers.
Schedule
All times are Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+3)
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 27 July 1952 | 8:00 15:00 | Round 1 Quarterfinals |
| Monday, 28 July 1952 | 8:00 15:00 | Semifinals Final |
Results
Round 1
The top 4 finishers in each pool advanced to round 2.[3] Fencers from the four teams that advanced to the final of the men's team épée event received byes through round 1:
- Italy: Dario Mangiarotti, Edoardo Mangiarotti, and Carlo Pavesi
- Luxembourg: Léon Buck, Émile Gretsch, and Jean-Fernand Leischen
- Sweden: Per Carleson, Sven Fahlman, and Carl Forssell
- Switzerland: Paul Barth, Paul Meister, and Oswald Zappelli
Pool 1
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Krajewski |  Poland | 5 | 1 | 8 | Q | |
| Antonio Haro |  Mexico | 5 | 1 | 9 | Q | ||
| 3 | Erkki Kerttula |  Finland | 4 | 2 | 10 | Q | |
| József Sákovics |  Hungary | 4 | 2 | 12 | Q | ||
| 5 | Alfred Eriksen |  Norway | 2 | 4 | 14 | ||
| Gustavo Gutiérrez |  Venezuela | 2 | 4 | 16 | |||
| Robert Henrion |  Belgium | 2 | 4 | 16 | |||
| 8 | Eduardo López |  Guatemala | 0 | 6 | 18 |
Pool 2
Mourão and Meraz defeated Amaral in a three-way barrage for third and fourth place.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raimondo Carnera |  Denmark | 5 | 2 | 8 | Q | |
| 2 | Mohamed Abdel Rahman |  Egypt | 5 | 2 | 10 | Q | |
| 3 | Álvaro Mário Mourão |  Portugal | 4 | 3 | 16 | 13 | Q |
| 4 | Emilio Meraz | Mexico | 4 | 3 | 15 | 13 | Q |
| 5 | Darío Amaral |  Brazil | 4 | 3 | 15 | ||
| 6 | Vito Simonetti |  Argentina | 2 | 5 | 16 | ||
| 7 | That Hải Tơn |  Vietnam | 2 | 5 | 19 | ||
| 8 | George Carpenter |  Ireland | 1 | 6 | 19 |
Pool 3
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Béla Rerrich | Hungary | 5 | 2 | 10 | Q | |
| 2 | Allan Jay |  Great Britain | 4 | 3 | 9 | Q | |
| 3 | César Pekelman | Brazil | 4 | 3 | 13 | Q | |
| 4 | Wojciech Rydz | Poland | 4 | 3 | 14 | Q | |
| 5 | Yury Deksbakh |  Soviet Union | 3 | 4 | 13 | ||
| 6 | Vasile Chelaru |  Romania | 3 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 7 | Giovanni Bertorelli | Venezuela | 1 | 6 | 10 | 19 | |
| Patrick Duffy | Ireland | 1 | 6 | 10 | 19 |
Pool 4
Przeździecki defeated Brooke in a barrage for fourth place.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mogens Lüchow | Denmark | 5 | 1 | 7 | Q | |
| Jean-Baptiste Maquet | Belgium | 5 | 2 | 11 | Q | ||
| 3 | Edward Vebell |  United States | 4 | 2 | 12 | Q | |
| 4 | Andrzej Przeździecki | Poland | 3 | 4 | 15 | Q | |
| 5 | Edward Brooke |  Canada | 3 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 6 | Santiago Massini | Argentina | 2 | 5 | 16 | ||
| 7 | Zoltan Uray | Romania | 1 | 6 | 18 | ||
| 8 | Charles Stanmore |  Australia | 1 | 6 | 19 |
Pool 5
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Dybkær | Denmark | 5 | 1 | 8 | Q | |
| Ivan Lund | Australia | 5 | 2 | 14 | Q | ||
| 3 | Johan von Koss | Norway | 4 | 3 | 12 | Q | |
| 4 | Ghislain Delaunois | Belgium | 4 | 3 | 13 | Q | |
| 5 | Armand Mouyal |  France | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 6 | Enrique Rettberg | Argentina | 2 | 4 | 13 | ||
| 7 | Abelardo Menéndez |  Cuba | 1 | 6 | 13 | 20 | |
| 8 | Juozas Ūdras | Soviet Union | 1 | 6 | 10 | 20 |
Pool 6
Kearney defeated Soberón and de Paula in a three-way barrage for fourth place.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Álvaro Pinto | Portugal | 6 | 1 | 9 | Q | |
| 2 | Claude Nigon | France | 6 | 1 | 11 | Q | |
| 3 | Ronald Parfitt | Great Britain | 4 | 3 | 16 | Q | |
| 4 | Tom Kearney | Ireland | 3 | 4 | 17 | Q | |
| 5 | Rubén Soberón | Guatemala | 3 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 6 | Walter de Paula | Brazil | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 7 | Lev Saychuk | Soviet Union | 2 | 5 | 18 | ||
| 8 | Heikki Raitio | Finland | 1 | 6 | 19 |
Pool 7
Bougnol defeated Camous, Skrobisch, and Kroggel in a four-way barrage for fourth place.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnabás Berzsenyi | Hungary | 4 | 3 | 19 | 14 | Q |
| 2 | Rolf Wiik | Finland | 4 | 3 | 18 | 14 | Q |
| 3 | Benito Ramos | Mexico | 4 | 3 | 17 | Q | |
| 4 | René Bougnol | France | 3 | 4 | 14 | Q | |
| 5 | Juan Camous | Venezuela | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 6 | Alfred Skrobisch | United States | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 7 | Erwin Kroggel |  Germany | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 8 | Shinichi Maki |  Japan | 1 | 6 | 20 |
Pool 8
Dias and Fethers defeated Makler in a three-way barrage for third and fourth place.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolae Marinescu | Romania | 5 | 2 | 13 | Q | |
| 2 | Egill Knutzen | Norway | 4 | 3 | 13 | Q | |
| 3 | Carlos Dias | Portugal | 3 | 4 | 17 | Q | |
| John Fethers | Australia | 3 | 4 | 17 | Q | ||
| 5 | Paul Makler Sr. | United States | 3 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 6 | René Paul | Great Britain | 2 | 5 | 18 | ||
| 7 | Antonio Chocano | Guatemala | 1 | 6 | 13 | 19 | |
| 8 | Roland Asselin | Canada | 1 | 6 | 12 | 19 |
Quarterfinals
The top 4 finishers in each pool advanced to the semifinals.[4]
Quarterfinal 1
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dario Mangiarotti |  Italy | 6 | 1 | 8 | Q | |
| 2 | Sven Fahlman |  Sweden | 6 | 2 | 12 | Q | |
| 3 | Jean-Baptiste Maquet | Belgium | 5 | 2 | 11 | Q | |
| 4 | René Bougnol | France | 5 | 3 | 19 | Q | |
| 5 | Antonio Haro | Mexico | 4 | 4 | 18 | ||
| 6 | César Pekelman | Brazil | 3 | 5 | 18 | ||
| 7 | Nicolae Marinescu | Romania | 3 | 5 | 20 | ||
| 8 | Wojciech Rydz | Poland | 2 | 5 | 17 | ||
| 9 | Álvaro Pinto | Portugal | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Quarterfinal 2
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edoardo Mangiarotti | Italy | 5 | 2 | 9 | Q | |
| 2 | Allan Jay | Great Britain | 5 | 2 | 10 | Q | |
| 3 | Edward Vebell | United States | 4 | 3 | 13 | Q | |
| 4 | Álvaro Mário Mourão | Portugal | 4 | 3 | 15 | Q | |
| 5 | Emilio Meraz | Mexico | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 6 | Claude Nigon | France | 3 | 4 | 17 | ||
| 7 | Béla Rerrich | Hungary | 2 | 5 | 18 | ||
| 8 | Paul Meister | Hungary | 1 | 6 | 20 |
Quarterfinal 3
Dybkær defeated Barth in a barrage for fourth place.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlo Pavesi | Italy | 5 | 1 | 4 | Q | |
| Léon Buck |  Luxembourg | 5 | 1 | 8 | Q | ||
| Mohamed Abdel Rahman | Egypt | 5 | 3 | 14 | Q | ||
| 4 | René Dybkær | Denmark | 4 | 4 | 19 | Q | |
| 5 | Paul Barth |  Switzerland | 4 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 6 | Johan von Koss | Norway | 2 | 5 | 17 | ||
| 7 | Andrzej Przeździecki | Poland | 2 | 5 | 19 | ||
| 8 | Ivan Lund | Australia | 1 | 6 | 19 | ||
| 9 | Carlos Dias | Portugal | 1 | 6 | 20 |
Quarterfinal 4
Forssell defeated Delaunois and Berzsenyi in a three-way barrage for fourth place.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Émile Gretsch | Luxembourg | 5 | 3 | 14 | Q | |
| 2 | Rolf Wiik | Finland | 5 | 3 | 20 | 16 | Q |
| 3 | Mogens Lüchow | Denmark | 5 | 3 | 20 | 16 | Q |
| 4 | Carl Forssell | Sweden | 4 | 4 | 16 | Q | |
| 5 | Ghislain Delaunois | Belgium | 4 | 4 | 22 | 17 | |
| 6 | Barnabás Berzsenyi | Hungary | 4 | 4 | 23 | 17 | |
| 7 | Ronald Parfitt | Great Britain | 3 | 5 | 19 | ||
| 8 | Adam Krajewski | Poland | 3 | 5 | 20 |
Quarterfinal 5
Sákovics and Zappelli defeated Fethers in a three-way barrage for third and fourth place.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erkki Kerttula | Finland | 6 | 1 | 7 | Q | |
| 2 | Per Carleson | Sweden | 5 | 2 | 12 | Q | |
| 3 | József Sákovics | Hungary | 4 | 4 | 15 | Q | |
| 4 | Oswald Zappelli | Switzerland | 4 | 4 | 15 | Q | |
| 5 | John Fethers | Australia | 4 | 4 | 17 | ||
| 6 | Raimondo Carnera | Denmark | 3 | 5 | 19 | ||
| 7 | Egill Knutzen | Finland | 2 | 5 | 16 | ||
| 8 | Jean-Fernand Leischen | Luxembourg | 2 | 5 | 17 | ||
| 9 | Tom Kearney | Ireland | 2 | 6 | 20 |
Semifinals
The top 5 finishers in each pool advanced to the final.[4]
Semifinal 1
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edoardo Mangiarotti | Italy | 9 | 0 | 27 | 4 | Q |
| 2 | Erkki Kerttula | Finland | 6 | 3 | 12 | Q | |
| 3 | Oswald Zappelli | Switzerland | 6 | 3 | 16 | Q | |
| 4 | Carl Forssell | Sweden | 5 | 4 | 16 | Q | |
| 5 | Carlo Pavesi | Italy | 5 | 4 | 20 | Q | |
| 6 | Sven Fahlman | Sweden | 4 | 5 | 20 | ||
| 7 | René Dybkær | Denmark | 2 | 6 | 20 | ||
| Émile Gretsch | Luxembourg | 2 | 6 | 21 | |||
| 9 | Álvaro Mário Mourão | Portugal | 2 | 7 | 22 | ||
| 10 | Jean-Baptiste Maquet | Belgium | 1 | 8 | 25 |
Semifinal 2
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mogens Lüchow | Denmark | 7 | 2 | 12 | Q | |
| 2 | Per Carleson | Sweden | 6 | 3 | 12 | Q | |
| 3 | Dario Mangiarotti | Italy | 6 | 3 | 15 | Q | |
| 4 | József Sákovics | Hungary | 6 | 3 | 18 | Q | |
| 5 | Léon Buck | Luxembourg | 5 | 4 | 16 | Q | |
| 6 | Allan Jay | Great Britain | 4 | 5 | 18 | ||
| 7 | Mohamed Abdel Rahman | Egypt | 4 | 5 | 19 | ||
| 8 | Rolf Wiik | Finland | 4 | 5 | 22 | ||
| 9 | Edward Vebell | United States | 3 | 6 | 21 | ||
| 10 | René Bougnol | France | 0 | 9 | 27 |
Final
There was a three-way barrage for silver, bronze, and fourth place. D. Mangiarotti came out best in that barrage, followed by Zappelli and then Buck.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses | TS | TR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Edoardo Mangiarotti | Italy | 7 | 2 | 12 | |
 | Dario Mangiarotti | Italy | 6 | 3 | 16 | |
 | Oswald Zappelli | Switzerland | 6 | 3 | 18 | |
| 4 | Léon Buck | Luxembourg | 6 | 3 | 19 | |
| 5 | József Sákovics | Hungary | 5 | 4 | 17 | |
| 6 | Carlo Pavesi | Italy | 4 | 5 | 21 | |
| 7 | Per Carleson | Sweden | 3 | 6 | 20 | |
| 8 | Carl Forssell | Sweden | 3 | 6 | 23 | |
| 9 | Erkki Kerttula | Finland | 2 | 7 | 23 | |
| 10 | Mogens Lüchow | Denmark | 2 | 7 | 25 |