Quick Facts Men's foil at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, Venue ...

Men's foil at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad
Kim Young-ho
Venue	Sydney Exhibition Centre
Date	20 September 2000
Competitors	40 from 22 nations
Medalists
Kim Young-ho  South Korea Ralf Bißdorf  Germany Dmitry Shevchenko  Russia
← 1996 2004 →

Close

The men's foil was one of ten fencing events on the fencing at the 2000 Summer Olympics programme. It was the twenty-third appearance of the event. The competition was held on 20 September 2000. 40 fencers from 22 nations competed.^[1] Nations had been limited to three fencers each since 1928. The event was won by Kim Yeong-Ho of South Korea, the first Asian man to win an Olympic fencing title. Ralf Bißdorf of Germany took silver, the first medal for united Germany since 1928 (though East and West Germany had each won medals separately). Dmitry Shevchenko's bronze medal was Russia's first as an independent nation in the event.

This was the 23rd appearance of the event, which has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1908 (when there was a foil display only rather than a medal event). Four of the eight quarterfinalists from 1996 returned: silver medalist Lionel Plumenail of France, fourth-place finisher Wolfgang Wienand of Germany, fifth-place finisher Rolando Tucker of Cuba, sixth-place finisher (and 1992 silver medalist) Sergei Golubitsky of Ukraine, and eighth-place finisher Kim Young-ho of South Korea. Golubitsky was the favorite, having won all three world championships between Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. Kim was a serious contender as well, rising from an unknown giant-killer (knocking off then-reigning world champion Dmitriy Shevchenko of Russia in the 1996 Games) to a giant himself (taking second in the 1997 and third in the 1999 world championships). Shevchenko returned as well, hoping for a better result than his early exit in Atlanta.^[2]

For the first time in the event's history, no nations made their debut in the men's foil. France and the United States each made their 21st appearance, tied for most of any nation; France had missed only the 1904 (with fencers not traveling to St. Louis) and the 1912 (boycotted due to a dispute over rules) foil competitions, while the United States had missed the inaugural 1896 competition and boycotted the 1980 Games altogether.

The 1996 tournament had vastly simplified the competition format into a single-elimination bracket, with a bronze medal match. The 2000 tournament continued to use that format. Bouts were to 15 touches. Standard foil rules regarding target area, striking, and priority were used.^[2]

All times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10)

The field of 40 fencers competed in a single-elimination tournament to determine the medal winners. Semifinal losers proceeded to a bronze medal match.

Section 1

	Round of 64					Round of 32					Round of 16					Quarterfinals
						Salvatore Sanzo (ITA)		15
	Gerald McMahon (AUS)		9			Wang Haibin (CHN)		10
	Wang Haibin (CHN)		15								Salvatore Sanzo (ITA)		15
											Carlos Rodríguez (VEN)		7
						Ilgar Mamedov (RUS)		14
						Carlos Rodríguez (VEN)		15
																Salvatore Sanzo (ITA)		14
																Dmitry Shevchenko (RUS)		15
						Elvis Gregory (CUB)		15
	Naoto Okazaki (JPN)		6			Abdul Muhsen Ali (KUW)		5
	Abdul Muhsen Ali (KUW)		15								Elvis Gregory (CUB)		14
											Dmitry Shevchenko (RUS)		15
						Dmitry Shevchenko (RUS)		15
						Adam Krzesiński (POL)		8

Section 2

	Round of 64					Round of 32					Round of 16					Quarterfinals
						Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR)		15
	James Beevers (GBR)		15			James Beevers (GBR)		1
	Marco Martins (BRA)		7								Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR)		15
											Matteo Zennaro (ITA)		12
						Matteo Zennaro (ITA)		15
						Daniele Crosta (ITA)		11
																Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR)		5
																Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR)		15
						Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR)		15
	Brice Guyart (FRA)		15			Brice Guyart (FRA)		13
	Leandro Marchetti (ARG)		6								Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR)		15
											Cliff Bayer (USA)		14
						Cliff Bayer (USA)		15
						Ryszard Sobczak (POL)		9

Section 3

	Round of 64					Round of 32					Round of 16					Quarterfinals
						Jean-Noël Ferrari (FRA)		15
	Lionel Plumenail (FRA)		15			Lionel Plumenail (FRA)		8
	Tamer Mohamed Tahoun (EGY)		9								Jean-Noël Ferrari (FRA)		15
											Rolando Tucker (CUB)		13
						Rolando Tucker (CUB)		15
						Joachim Wendt (AUT)		5
																Jean-Noël Ferrari (FRA)		15
																Richard Breutner (GER)		9
						Oscar García (CUB)		9
	Sławomir Mocek (POL)		15			Sławomir Mocek (POL)		15
	Maher Ben Aziza (TUN)		2								Sławomir Mocek (POL)		8
											Richard Breutner (GER)		15
						Andrey Deyev (RUS)		10
						Richard Breutner (GER)		15

Section 4

	Round of 64					Round of 32					Round of 16					Quarterfinals
						Wolfgang Wienand (GER)		8
	Márk Marsi (HUN)		15			Márk Marsi (HUN)		15
	Andrey Kolganov (KAZ)		13								Márk Marsi (HUN)		15
											Ye Chong (CHN)		8
						Ye Chong (CHN)		15
						Dong Zhaozhi (CHN)		6
																Márk Marsi (HUN)		13
																Ralf Bißdorf (GER)		15
						João Gomes (POR)		15
						Michael Ludwig (AUT)		12
											João Gomes (POR)		11
	Oleksiy Kruhliak (UKR)		15								Ralf Bißdorf (GER)		15
	Oleksiy Bryzhalov (UKR)		9			Oleksiy Kruhliak (UKR)		7
						Ralf Bißdorf (GER)		15

Finals

	Semifinals				Final
	Dmitry Shevchenko (RUS)	14
	Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR)	15
					Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR)	15
					Ralf Bißdorf (GER)	14
	Jean-Noël Ferrari (FRA)	13
	Ralf Bißdorf (GER)	15
					Bronze medal match
					Dmitry Shevchenko (RUS)	15
					Jean-Noël Ferrari (FRA)	14