The men's foil was one of seven

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

events on the

fencing at the 1932 Summer Olympics At the 1932 Summer Olympics, seven fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's co ...

programme. It was the eighth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 2 to 4 August 1932. 26 fencers from 12 nations competed, with one other entered but not starting. Each nation was limited to three fencers.Official Olympic Report
la84.org. Retrieved 10 August 2018. The event was won by

Gustavo Marzi Gustavo Marzi (25 November 1908 – 14 November 1966) was an Italian fencer. He competed in foil and sabre events at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won a gold or silver medal in every event he entered, except for individual sabre in 1928, ...

of Italy, the nation's third victory in the men's foil (and first since 1920). His countryman

Giulio Gaudini Giulio Gaudini (28 September 1904 – 6 January 1948) was an Italian foil and sabre fencer. He competed at the 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won three gold, four silver, and two bronze medals. He was the flag bearer for Italy at the 19 ...

took bronze for the second consecutive Games, becoming the fourth man to win multiple medals in the event. Joe Levis gave the United States its first men's foil medal with his silver.

Background

This was the eighth 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 1928 finalists returned: silver medalist

Erwin Casmir Erwin Casmir (2 December 1895 – 19 April 1982) was a German fencer. He won a silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics and two bronze medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), ...

of Germany, bronze medalist

of Italy, fifth-place finisher (and 1920 and 1924 silver medalist)

Philippe Cattiau Philippe Cattiau (28 July 1892 – 18 February 1962) was a French épée and foil fencer who won a total of eight Olympic medals between 1920 and 1936. He was born in Saint-Malo in Brittany. A stadium in the Paris suburb of Vil ...

of France, and eleventh-place finisher Joe Levis of the United States. Another significant Olympic veteran was 1928 semifinalist

Ivan Joseph Martin Osiier Dr. Ivan Joseph Martin Osiier (December 16, 1888 – December 23, 1965), was a Danish Olympic medalist, and world champion, fencer who fenced foil, épée, and saber. He was given the Olympic Diploma of Merit during his career. He is also one ...

of Denmark; Osiier was competing in the Games for the sixth time of his eventual seven. The favorite was

of Italy. Gaudini, who had won the world championship in 1930, was also a significant contender. The 1931 world champion,

René Lemoine René Alphonse Lemoine (29 December 1905 – 19 December 1995) was a French fencer. He won a gold medal in the team foil event at the 1932 Summer Olympics and a silver in the same event at the 1936 Summer Olympics. At the world championship ...

, had failed to make the French team. Canada and Mexico each made their debut in the men's foil. The United States made its seventh appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the inaugural 1896 competition.

Competition format

The event used a three-round format. In each round, the fencers were divided into pools to play a round-robin within the pool. Bouts were to five touches. Not all bouts were played in some pools if not necessary to determine advancement. Bout wins were used for placement, regardless of losses if fencers had competed in a different number of bouts (e.g., 3–3 Gorordo and 3–2 Every were tied in the first round). Touches against was used as the tie-breaker. Standard

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 ma ...

rules were used, including that touches had to be made with the tip of the foil, the target area was limited to the torso, and priority determined the winner of double touches. * Quarterfinals: There were 3 pools of 8–9 fencers each. The top 6 fencers in each quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals. * Semifinals: There were 2 pools of 9 fencers each. The top 5 fencers in each semifinal advanced to the final. * Final: The final pool had 10 fencers.

Schedule

Results

Quarterfinals

The top 6 finishers in each pool advanced to the semifinals.Official Report, p. 496.

Quarterfinal 1

Quarterfinal 2

Quarterfinal 3

Semifinals

The top 5 finishers in each semifinal advanced to the final.Official Report, p. 498.

Semifinal 1

Semifinal 2

Final

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fencing at the 1932 Summer Olympics - Men's foil Foil men Men's events at the 1932 Summer Olympics