Enzo Lefort (born 29 September 1991) is a French right-handed

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

fencer. Lefort is a four-time team European champion, 2014 team world champion, and two-time individual world champion. A three-time Olympian, Lefort is a 2016 team Olympic silver medalist and 2021 team Olympic champion. Lefort competed in the

2012 London Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, the

2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

, and the

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

Career

Lefort was born in

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. He discovered fencing when he was five, while watching fellow French Caribbean

Laura Flessel Laura Flessel-Colovic (born 6 November 1971) is a French politician and épée fencer who served as Minister of Sports from 2017 to 2018. Born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, she has won the most Olympic medals of any French sportswoman, wit ...

win the gold medal in the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

at Atlanta. He began fencing at CREPS in Les Abymes,

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

, where he trained under Ruddy Plicoste along with Jean-Paul Tony Helissey and

Ysaora Thibus Ysaora Jennifer Thibus (born 22 August 1991 in Guadeloupe) is a French right-handed foil fencer, 2022 individual world champion, three-time Olympian, and 2021 team Olympic silver medalist. Biography Ysaora Thibus is studying at the ESCP Busin ...

. He later joined the centre for promising athletes in

Châtenay-Malabry Châtenay-Malabry () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located 10.8 km (6.7 mi) from the center of Paris. The French writer Chateaubriand lived in the estate ''Vallée-aux-Loups'' at Châtenay-Malabry. The Ga ...

in metropolitan France. Lefort won the French national championship in 2012. At the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

he competed in the Men's foil, but was defeated in the second round. In the team event, France were defeated 39–45 against the United States in the quarter-finals. After the fencing section of the Lagardère Paris Racing was dissolved, Lefort joined the Cercle d'Escrime Melun Val de Seine. In the 2013–14 season Lefort won the Challenge International de Paris, his first World Cup medal, and climbed the podium in Venice, Saint-Petersburg and Havana. In the

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

at Strasbourg, Lefort was defeated in the second round by Denmark's Emil Ulrik Andersen. In the team event, France received a bye, then overcame the Czech Republic and Russia to meet Italy in the final. They prevailed 45–41 to earn the gold medal. A month later in the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

at Kazan, Lefort was seeded number two. He made his way to the quarter-finals, where he defeated reigning European champion

James-Andrew Davis James-Andrew Davis (born 3 July 1991) is a British fencer, European champion in 2014. He competed in men's foil at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. Career Davis was born and brought up in Barnet, North London. He became interested in fenc ...

, but was defeated in the semi-final by

Aleksey Cheremisinov Aleksey Borisovich Cheremisinov (russian: Алексей Борисович Черемисинов; born 9 July 1985) is a Russian right-handed foil fencer, two-time team European champion, two-time individual European champion, 2014 individual ...

of Russia and came away with a bronze medal. In the team event, No.2 seeded France received a bye, then knocked out Hong Kong, Germany and hosts Russia to meet China in the Final. They beat China 45–25 to earn the gold medal. Lefort finished the season No.2 in FIE rankings. In 2017, he was the flag bearer for France at the World Military Championships. At the 2019 World Championships in Budapest, he won gold in the individual men's foil. That year, he also won bronze in the

National Honours

He was named a Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2016, and a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 2021.

Medal Record

Olympic Games

World Championship

European Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup

References

External links

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Profile
at the European Fencing Confederation {{DEFAULTSORT:Lefort, Enzo French male foil fencers Living people French people of French Guianan descent Olympic fencers of France Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics 1991 births Sportspeople from Cayenne Olympic medalists in fencing Olympic silver medalists for France Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Universiade medalists in fencing Mediterranean Games silver medalists for France Mediterranean Games medalists in fencing Competitors at the 2013 Mediterranean Games Universiade bronze medalists for France Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for France World Fencing Championships medalists 20th-century French people 21st-century French people