The épée event for amateurs was one of three épée events at the 1900 Summer Olympics. 102 fencers from 11 nations competed, with 91 of them from France.[1] The event was won by Ramón Fonst of Cuba, the first of his two golds in individual épée. Silver and bronze both went to host nation fencers, Louis Perrée and Léon Sée. These badly organized games — derisively called “The Farcical Games” — were so poorly publicized that years later, even the competitors were clueless that they had competed in the Olympics in 1900.[2] No official records for the games exist.[2] These accomplishments are not even mentioned in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.[3] This was the first appearance of the event, as only foil and sabre events had been held at the first Games in 1896; the Men's épée event has been held at every Summer Olympics since 1900.[1]
| Men's épée at the Games of the II Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold medalist Ramón Fonst | ||||||||||
| Venue | Tuileries Garden | |||||||||
| Dates | 1–14 June | |||||||||
| Competitors | 102 from 11 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Competition format
The event used a four-round format: round 1, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. Each round consisted of pool play. For round 1, the fencers were divided into 17 pools of 6 or 7 fencers each; the top two fencers in each pool advanced to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals were intended to divide the 34 fencers into 6 pools of 5 or 6 fencers each; after 3 men withdrew, the round consisted of 5 pools of 6 fencers plus a special pool of the last remaining fencer plus 4 of the losers from the first 5 pools. The top 3 fencers in each pool advanced to the semifinals. The semifinals had the 18 men compete in 3 pools of 6, with the top 3 in each pool advancing to a 9-man final.
The actual competition format within pools is not entirely clear. Only results from the final are known. In the final, each fencer had 5 or 6 bouts (rather than 8, which would be the number if a full round-robin were held). The top places were determined by number of wins, with a barrage held when two fencers finished with 4 wins (though one had only 1 loss while the other had 2).[1]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, 1 June 1900 | Round 1 pools A–D | |
| 2–5 June 1900 | Round 1 pools E–L | |
| Wednesday, 6 June 1900 | Round 1 pools M–Q | |
| 7–9 June 1900 | 9:00 | Quarterfinals |
| Sunday, 10 June 1900 | Semifinals | |
| Wednesday, 13 June 1900 | Final | |
| Thursday, 14 June 1900 | Final, continued |
Results
Round 1
The first round of the event consisted of pool play round-robin tournaments. Each fencer faced each other fencer once. Of the 17 pools, 15 had six fencers each and 2 had seven. The top two placers in each advanced to the quarterfinals.
Pool A
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph-Marie Rosé |  France | Q |
| 2 | Élie, Count de Lastours | France | Q |
| 3–6 | H. Georges Berger | France | |
| Luquetas | France | ||
| Mosso | France | ||
| André Tintant | France | /[4][2] |
Pool B
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jules de Pradel | France | Q |
| 2 | Jean Dreyfus | France | Q |
| 3–6 | Jacques de la Chevalerie | France | |
| Gardiès | France | ||
| Hérrison | France | ||
| Ivan Ivanovitch | France |
Pool C
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jules Roffe | France | Q |
| 2 | Édouard Fouchier | France | Q |
| 3–6 | Pierre Georges Louis d'Hugues | France | |
| Moreil | France | ||
| Max Rodrigues | France | ||
| Véve | France |
Pool D
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramón Fonst |  Cuba | Q |
| 2 | Edmond Wallace | France | Q |
| 3 | Willy Sulzbacher | France[5] | |
| 4–6 | Bazin | France | |
| Maurice Fleury | France | ||
| Pierre Thomegeux | France |
Pool E
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaston Alibert | France | Q |
| 2 | Georges de la Falaise | France | Q |
| 3–6 | Olivier Collarini |  Italy | |
| Grad | France | ||
| Massé | France | ||
| Achille Morin | France |
Pool F
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Joseph Renaud | France | Q |
| 2 | Maurice Boisdon | France | Q |
| 3–6 | Laurent de Champeaux | France | |
| Charles Loizillon | France | ||
| Salvanahac | France | ||
| de Segonzac | France |
Pool G
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henri Plommet | France | Q |
| 2 | Léon Thiébaut | France | Q |
| 3 | Lariviére | France | |
| 4–6 | Adam | France | |
| Robert Marc | France | ||
| Jean Taillefer | France |
Pool H
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | André-Marie Rabel | France | Q |
| 2 | Josiah Bowden |  Great Britain | Q |
| 3–6 | de Lastic | France | |
| Georges Leroy | France | ||
| Miller | France | ||
| Ivan, Viscount d'Oyley |  United States[6] |
Pool I
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Wallace | France | Q |
| 2 | Freydoun Malkom |  Iran | Q |
| 3–6 | Marie Joseph Anatole Elie | France | |
| de Laugardière | France | ||
| Georges Redeuil | France | ||
| Joseph Sénat | France |
Pool J
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcel Lévy | France | Q |
| 2 | Maurice Jay | France | Q |
| 3–6 | Henri de Laborde | France | |
| Adjutant Lemoine | France | ||
| Charles Robinson | Great Britain | ||
| André de Romilly | France |
Pool K
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuseppe Giurato | Italy | Q |
| 2 | Raoul Bideau | France | Q |
| 3–6 | Clément de Boissière | France | |
| Albert Cahen | France | ||
| Fernandès | France | ||
| de la Tournable | France |
Pool L
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandre Guillemand | France | Q |
| 2 | Jacques Holzschuch | France | Q |
| 3 | Ducreuil | France | |
| 4–6 | Andreac | France | |
| Costiesco | France | ||
| Paul Robert |  Switzerland |
Pool M
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Léon Sée | France | Q |
| 2 | Eduardo Camet |  Argentina | Q |
| 3–6 | Carlos de Candamo |  Peru | |
| Mauricio, 4th Duke of Gor |  Spain | ||
| de Meuse | France | ||
| Joseph Rodrigues | France |
Pool N
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve | France | Q |
| 2 | Alphonse Moquet | France | Q |
| 3–7 | de Cazenove | France | |
| René Jules Thion de la Chaume | France | ||
| de Pradines | France | ||
| Prosper | France | ||
| Pierre Rosenbaum | France |
Pool O
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louis Perrée | France | Q |
| 2 | Henri-Georges Berger | France | Q |
| 3–6 | Louis Bastien | France | |
| Stan François | France | ||
| Peberay | France | ||
| Preurot | France |
Pool P
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Smet |  Belgium | Q |
| 2 | Henri Jean Début | France | Q |
| 3–7 | Gaston Achille | France | |
| Duclos | France | ||
| Giunio Fedreghini | Italy | ||
| Fichot | France | ||
| Weber | France |
Pool Q
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrien Guyon | France | Q |
| 2 | Jean-André Hilleret | France | Q |
| 3–6 | Delprat | France | |
| Lafontaine | France | ||
| Adolphe Thomegeux | France | ||
| de Vars | France |
Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals were again round-robin affairs. The original schedule was that there would be six pools: two would have five fencers each and four would have six fencers, with the top three in each pool to advance.
After three of the original quarterfinalists (Maurice Jay, André Rabel, and Jean-Joseph Renaud) withdrew after the draw, the quarterfinals were redrawn: there were five pools with six fencers each, while the sixth pool included Holzchuch and four fencers who had lost in other quarterfinals and were given a second chance to advance.
Quarterfinal A
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean Dreyfuss | France | Q |
| 2 | Henri Plommet | France | Q |
| 3 | Marcel Lévy | France | Q |
| 4–6 | Jean-André Hilleret | France | |
| Alphonse Moquet | France | ||
| Jules Roffe | France |
Quarterfinal B
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Wallace | France | Q |
| 2 | Élie, Count de Lastours | France | Q |
| 3 | Georges de la Falaise | France | Q |
| 4–6 | Josiah Bowden | Great Britain | |
| Alexandre Guillemand | France | ||
| Léon Thiébaut | France |
Quarterfinal C
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmond Wallace | France | Q |
| 2 | Eduardo Camet | Argentina | Q |
| 3 | Jules de Pradel | France | Q |
| 4–6 | Raoul Bideau | France | |
| Tony Smet | Belgium | ||
| Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve | France |
Quarterfinal D
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaston Alibert | France | Q |
| 2 | Léon Sée | France | Q |
| 3 | Ramón Fonst | Cuba | Q |
| 4–6 | Henri-Georges Berger | France | |
| Giuseppe Giurato | Italy | ||
| Freydoun Malkom | Iran |
Quarterfinal E
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maurice Boisdon | France | Q |
| 2 | Louis Perrée | France | Q |
| 3 | Joseph-Marie Rosé | France | Q |
| 4–6 | Henri Jean Début | France | |
| Édouard Fouchier | France | ||
| Adrien Guyon | France |
Quarterfinal F
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacques Holzschuch | France | Q |
| 2 | Léon Thiébaut | France | Q |
| 3 | Alexandre Guillemand | France | Q |
| 4–5 | Unknown[7] | ||
Semifinals
The semifinals, with 18 fencers left, were conducted in three pools of round-robin play. Each pool had six fencers, with the top three advancing to the final.
Semifinal A
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaston Alibert | France | Q |
| 2 | Henri Plommet | France | Q |
| 3 | Léon Sée | France | Q |
| 4–6 | Élie, Count de Lastours | France | |
| Jacques Holzschuch | France | ||
| Joseph-Marie Rosé | France |
Semifinal B
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges de la Falaise | France | Q |
| 2 | Louis Perrée | France | Q |
| 3 | Eduardo Camet | Argentina | Q |
| 4–6 | Maurice Boisdon | France | |
| Jean Dreyfuss | France | ||
| Jules de Pradel | France |
Semifinal C
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Léon Thiébaut | France | Q |
| 2 | Edmond Wallace | France | Q |
| 3 | Ramón Fonst | Cuba | Q |
| 4–6 | Alexandre Guillemand | France | |
| Marcel Lévy | France | ||
| Richard Wallace | France |
Final
In the final, each fencer had either 5 or 6 bouts. Fonst and Perrée initially tied for first with 4 wins each, then Fonst won the barrage to break the tie.
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ramón Fonst | Cuba | 4 | 2 |
 | Louis Perrée | France | 4 | 1 |
 | Léon Sée | France | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Georges de la Falaise | France | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | Eduardo Camet | Argentina | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | Edmond Wallace | France | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | Gaston Alibert | France | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | Léon Thiébaut | France | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | Henri Plommet | France | 0 | 6 |
Results summary
| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Round 1 Rank | Quarterfinals Rank | Semifinals Rank | Final Wins | Final Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Ramón Fonst | Cuba | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 4 | 2 |
| | Louis Perrée | France | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 4 | 1 |
| | Léon Sée | France | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Georges de la Falaise | France | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | Eduardo Camet | Argentina | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | Edmond Wallace | France | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | Gaston Alibert | France | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | Léon Thiébaut | France | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | Henri Plommet | France | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 0 | 6 |
| 10–18 | Maurice Boisdon | France | 2nd | 1st | 4th–6th | Did not advance | |
| Jean Dreyfuss | France | 2nd | 1st | 4th–6th | |||
| Alexandre Guillemand | France | 1st | 3rd | 4th–6th | |||
| Jacques Holzschuch | France | 2nd | 1st | 4th–6th | |||
| Élie, Count de Lastours | France | 2nd | 2nd | 4th–6th | |||
| Marcel Lévy | France | 1st | 3rd | 4th–6th | |||
| Jules de Pradel | France | 1st | 3rd | 4th–6th | |||
| Joseph-Marie Rosé | France | 1st | 3rd | 4th–6th | |||
| Richard Wallace | France | 1st | 1st | 4th–6th | |||
| 19–31 | Henri-Georges Berger | France | 2nd | 4th–6th | Did not advance | ||
| Raoul Bideau | France | 2nd | 4th–6th | ||||
| Josiah Bowden | Great Britain | 2nd | 4th–6th | ||||
| Henri Jean Début | France | 2nd | 4th–6th | ||||
| Édouard Fouchier | France | 2nd | 4th–6th | ||||
| Giuseppe Giurato | Italy | 1st | 4th–6th | ||||
| Adrien Guyon | France | 1st | 4th–6th | ||||
| Jean-André Hilleret | France | 2nd | 4th–6th | ||||
| Freydoun Malkom | Iran | 2nd | 4th–6th | ||||
| Alphonse Moquet | France | 2nd | 4th–6th | ||||
| Jules Roffe | France | 1st | 4th–6th | ||||
| Tony Smet | Belgium | 1st | 4th–6th | ||||
| Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve | France | 1st | 4th–6th | ||||
| 32 | Maurice Jay | France | 2nd | DNS | |||
| André Rabel | France | 1st | DNS | ||||
| Jean-Joseph Renaud | France | 1st | DNS | ||||
| 35–104 | Gaston Achille | France | 3rd–7th | Did not advance | |||
| Adam | France | 4th–6th | |||||
| Andreac | France | 4th–6th | |||||
| Louis Bastien | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Bazin | France | 4th–6th | |||||
| H. Georges Berger | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Clément de Boissière | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Albert Cahen | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Carlos de Candamo | Peru | 3rd–6th | |||||
| de Cazenove | France | 3rd–7th | |||||
| Laurent de Champeaux | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| René Jules Thion de la Chaume | France | 3rd–7th | |||||
| Jacques de la Chevalerie | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Olivier Collarini | Italy | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Costiesco | France | 4th–6th | |||||
| Delprat | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Duclos | France | 3rd–7th | |||||
| Ducreuil | France | 3rd | |||||
| Marie Joseph Anatole Elie | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Giunio Fedreghini | Italy | 3rd–7th | |||||
| Fernandès | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Fichot | France | 3rd–7th | |||||
| Maurice Fleury | France | 4th–6th | |||||
| Stan François | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Gardiès | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Grad | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Hérrison | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Pierre Georges Louis d'Hugues | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Ivan Ivanovitch | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Henri de Laborde | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Lafontaine | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Lariviére | France | 3rd | |||||
| de Lastic | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| de Laugardière | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Adjutant Lemoine | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Georges Leroy | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Charles Loizillon | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Luquetas | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Robert Marc | France | 4th–6th | |||||
| Massé | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| de Meuse | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Miller | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Moreil | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Achille Morin | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Mosso | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Ivan, Viscount d'Oyley | United States[6] | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Peberay | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Mauricio, 4th Duke of Gor | Spain | 3rd–6th | |||||
| de Pradines | France | 3rd–7th | |||||
| Preurot | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Prosper | France | 3rd–7th | |||||
| Georges Redeuil | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Paul Robert | Switzerland | 4th–6th | |||||
| Charles Robinson | Great Britain | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Joseph Rodrigues | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Max Rodrigues | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| André de Romilly | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Pierre Rosenbaum | France | 3rd–7th | |||||
| Salvanahac | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| de Segonzac | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Joseph Sénat | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Willy Sulzbacher | France[5] | 3rd | |||||
| Jean Taillefer | France | 4th–6th | |||||
| Adolphe Thomegeux | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Pierre Thomegeux | France | 4th–6th | |||||
| André Tintant | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| de la Tournable | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| de Vars | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Véve | France | 3rd–6th | |||||
| Weber | France | 3rd–7th | |||||