Fencing at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's sabre

The men's sabre was one of ten fencing events on the fencing at the 2000 Summer Olympics programme. It was the twenty-fourth appearance of the event. The competition was held on 21 September 2000. 39 fencers from 20 nations competed. Nations had been limited to three fencers each since 1928. The event was won by Mihai Covaliu of Romania, the nation's first medal in the men's sabre. Mathieu Gourdain's silver extended France's podium streak in the event to five Games. Germany also earned its first medal in the men's sabre, with Wiradech Kothny's bronze.

Men's sabre at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad
Mihai Covaliu (2015)
Venue	Sydney Exhibition Centre
Dates	21 September 2000
Competitors	39 from 20 nations
Medalists
Mihai Covaliu  Romania Mathieu Gourdain  France Wiradech Kothny  Germany

Background

This was the 24th appearance of the event, which is the only fencing event to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Five of the quarterfinalists from 1996 returned: gold medalist Stanislav Pozdnyakov and silver medalist Sergey Sharikov of Russia, bronze medalist Damien Touya of France, sixth-place finisher Vadym Huttsait of Ukraine, and seventh-place finisher Rafał Sznajder of Poland. The three world champions since the Atlanta Games were Pozdnyakov (1997), Luigi Tarantino of Italy (1998), and Touya (1999).

Belarus and Kazakhstan each made their debut in the men's sabre. Italy made its 22nd appearance in the event, most of any nation, having missed the inaugural 1896 event and the 1904 Games.

Competition format

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 sabre rules regarding target area, striking, and priority were used.

Schedule

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

Date	Time	Round
Thursday, 21 September 2000	9:30 17:30	Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Bronze medal match Final

Results

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
						Stanislav Pozdnyakov (RUS)		15
	Zhao Chunsheng  China		15			Zhao Chunsheng  China		11
	Akhnaten Spencer-El (USA)		10								Stanislav Pozdnyakov (RUS)		11
											Mathieu Gourdain (FRA)		15
						Fernando Medina  Spain		14
						Mathieu Gourdain (FRA)		15
																Mathieu Gourdain (FRA)		15
																Victor Găureanu (ROU)		14
						Luigi Tarantino  Italy		10
						Victor Găureanu (ROU)		15
											Victor Găureanu (ROU)		15
											Julien Pillet (FRA)		10
						Julien Pillet (FRA)		15
						Alberto Falcón (ESP)		12

Section 2

	Round of 64					Round of 32					Round of 16					Quarterfinals
						Domonkos Ferjancsik (HUN)		15
	Laurent Waller (SUI)		13			Lee Seung-Won (KOR)		4
	Lee Seung-Won (KOR)		15								Domonkos Ferjancsik (HUN)		15
											Vadym Huttsait (UKR)		10
						Vadym Huttsait (UKR)		15
						Rafał Sznajder (POL)		14
																Domonkos Ferjancsik (HUN)		15
																Tonhi Terenzi (ITA)		13
						Csaba Köves (HUN)		15
	Florin Lupeică (ROM)		15			Florin Lupeică (ROM)		14
	Cándido Maya (CUB)		10								Csaba Köves (HUN)		14
											Tonhi Terenzi (ITA)		15
						Tonhi Terenzi (ITA)		15
						Volodymyr Kaliuzhniy (UKR)		10

Section 3

	Round of 64					Round of 32					Round of 16					Quarterfinals
						Sergey Sharikov (RUS)		15
	Volodymyr Lukashenko (UKR)		15			Volodymyr Lukashenko (UKR)		11
	Masashi Nagara (JPN)		7								Sergey Sharikov (RUS)		14
											Wiradech Kothny (GER)		15
						Eero Lehmann (GER)		8
						Wiradech Kothny (GER)		15
																Wiradech Kothny (GER)		15
																Aleksey Frosin (RUS)		12
						Zsolt Nemcsik (HUN)		10
	James Williams (GBR)		15			James Williams (GBR)		15
	Diego Drajer (ARG)		13								James Williams (GBR)		8
											Aleksey Frosin (RUS)		15
						Marcin Sobala (POL)		8
						Aleksey Frosin (RUS)		15

Section 4

	Round of 64					Round of 32					Round of 16					Quarterfinals
						Raffaelo Caserta (ITA)		9
	Dmitry Lapkes (BLR)		15			Dmitry Lapkes (BLR)		15
	Mahmoud Samir (EGY)		7								Dmitry Lapkes (BLR)		11
											Mihai Covaliu (ROM)		15
						Norbert Jaskot (POL)		12
						Mihai Covaliu (ROM)		15
																Mihai Covaliu (ROM)		15
																Damien Touya (FRA)		12
						Jorge Pina (ESP)		14
						Dennis Bauer (GER)		15
											Dennis Bauer (GER)		12
	Keeth Smart (USA)		15								Damien Touya (FRA)		15
	Igor Tsel (KAZ)		5			Keeth Smart (USA)		8
						Damien Touya (FRA)		15

Finals

	Semifinals				Final
	Mathieu Gourdain (FRA)	15
	Domonkos Ferjancsik (HUN)	12
					Mathieu Gourdain (FRA)	12
					Mihai Covaliu (ROU)	15
	Wiradech Kothny (GER)	12
	Mihai Covaliu (ROU)	15
					Bronze medal match
					Domonkos Ferjancsik (HUN)	11
					Wiradech Kothny (GER)	15

Final classification

Rank	Fencer	Nation
	Mihai Covaliu	Romania
	Mathieu Gourdain	France
	Wiradech Kothny	Germany
4	Domonkos Ferjancsik	Hungary
5	Damien Touya	France
6	Aleksey Frosin	Russia
7	Tonhi Terenzi	Italy
8	Victor Găureanu	Romania
9	Stanislav Pozdnyakov	Russia
10	Sergey Sharikov	Russia
11	Csaba Köves	Hungary
12	Julien Pillet	France
13	Vadym Huttsait	Ukraine
14	Dennis Bauer	Germany
15	Dmitry Lapkes	Belarus
16	James Williams	Great Britain
17	Zsolt Nemcsik	Hungary
18	Luigi Tarantino	Italy
19	Raffaello Caserta	Italy
20	Fernando Medina	Spain
21	Jorge Pina	Spain
22	Rafał Sznajder	Poland
23	Eero Lehmann	Germany
24	Marcin Sobala	Poland
25	Volodymyr Kaliuzhniy	Ukraine
26	Norbert Jaskot	Poland
27	Alberto Falcón	Spain
28	Florin Lupeică	Romania
29	Volodymyr Lukashenko	Ukraine
30	Keeth Smart	United States
31	Zhao Chunsheng	China
32	Lee Seung-Won	South Korea
33	Laurent Waller	Switzerland
34	Akhnaten Spencer-El	United States
35	Igor Tsel	Kazakhstan
36	Masashi Nagara	Japan
37	Diego Drajer	Argentina
38	Cándido Maya	Cuba
39	Mahmoud Samir	Egypt

External links

• Official Report of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics