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. 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. No official records for the games exist. These accomplishments are not even mentioned in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 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.

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).

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 2 Élie, Count de Lastours 3–6 H. Georges Berger Luquetas Mosso André Tintant /

Pool B

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Jules de Pradel 2 Jean Dreyfus 3–6 Jacques de la Chevalerie Gardiès Hérrison Ivan Ivanovitch

Pool C

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Jules Roffe 2 Édouard Fouchier 3–6 Pierre Georges Louis d'Hugues Moreil Max Rodrigues Véve

Pool D

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Ramón Fonst 2 Edmond Wallace 3 Willy Sulzbacher Sulzbacher was named to the Olympic Games by a German fencing club and is therefore listed in some sources, including the IOC's database at Olympic.org, as German. However, he was a French national living in France at the time of the Games; other sources, including Olympedia, more accurate list him as French. 4–6 Bazin Maurice Fleury Pierre Thomegeux

Pool E

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Gaston Alibert 2 Georges de la Falaise 3–6 Olivier Collarini Grad Massé Achille Morin

Pool F

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Jean-Joseph Renaud 2 Maurice Boisdon 3–6 Laurent de Champeaux Charles Loizillon Salvanahac de Segonzac

Pool G

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Henri Plommet 2 Léon Thiébaut 3 Lariviére 4–6 Adam Robert Marc Jean Taillefer

Pool H

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 André-Marie Rabel 2 Josiah Bowden 3–6 de Lastic Georges Leroy Miller Ivan, Viscount d'Oyley Viscount d'Oyley was historically counted as French, but has been discovered to have been an American living in Paris. Modern sources, such as Olympedia, count him as competing for the United States.

Pool I

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Richard Wallace 2 Freydoun Malkom 3–6 Marie Joseph Anatole Elie de Laugardière Georges Redeuil Joseph Sénat

Pool J

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Marcel Lévy 2 Maurice Jay 3–6 Henri de Laborde Adjutant Lemoine Charles Robinson André de Romilly

Pool K

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Giuseppe Giurato 2 Raoul Bideau 3–6 Clément de Boissière Albert Cahen Fernandès de la Tournable

Pool L

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Alexandre Guillemand 2 Jacques Holzschuch 3 Ducreuil 4–6 Andreac Costiesco Paul Robert

Pool M

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Léon Sée 2 Eduardo Camet 3–6 Carlos de Candamo Mauricio, 4th Duke of Gor de Meuse Joseph Rodrigues

Pool N

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve 2 Alphonse Moquet 3–7 de Cazenove René Jules Thion de la Chaume de Pradines Prosper Pierre Rosenbaum

Pool O

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Louis Perrée 2 Henri-Georges Berger 3–6 Louis Bastien Stan François Peberay Preurot

Pool P

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Tony Smet 2 Henri Jean Début 3–7 Gaston Achille Duclos Giunio Fedreghini Fichot Weber

Pool Q

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Adrien Guyon 2 Jean-André Hilleret 3–6 Delprat Lafontaine Adolphe Thomegeux de Vars

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 Holzschuch 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 2 Henri Plommet 3 Marcel Lévy 4–6 Jean-André Hilleret Alphonse Moquet Jules Roffe

Quarterfinal B

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Richard Wallace 2 Élie, Count de Lastours 3 Georges de la Falaise 4–6 Josiah Bowden Alexandre Guillemand Léon Thiébaut

Quarterfinal C

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Edmond Wallace 2 Eduardo Camet 3 Jules de Pradel 4–6 Raoul Bideau Tony Smet Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve

Quarterfinal D

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Gaston Alibert 2 Léon Sée 3 Ramón Fonst 4–6 Henri-Georges Berger Giuseppe Giurato Freydoun Malkom

Quarterfinal E

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Maurice Boisdon 2 Louis Perrée 3 Joseph-Marie Rosé 4–6 Henri Jean Début Édouard Fouchier Adrien Guyon

Quarterfinal F

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Jacques Holzschuch 2 Léon Thiébaut 3 Alexandre Guillemand 4–5 UnknownThese two competitors were among the 13 other quarterfinalists that had been defeated in quarterfinals A-E.

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 2 Henri Plommet 3 Léon Sée 4–6 Élie, Count de Lastours Jacques Holzschuch Joseph-Marie Rosé

Semifinal B

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Georges de la Falaise 2 Louis Perrée 3 Eduardo Camet 4–6 Maurice Boisdon Jean Dreyfuss Jules de Pradel

Semifinal C

Rank Fencer Nation Notes 1 Léon Thiébaut 2 Edmond Wallace 3 Ramón Fonst 4–6 Alexandre Guillemand Marcel Lévy Richard Wallace

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 4 2 Louis Perrée 4 1 Léon Sée 3 2 4 Georges de la Falaise 3 3 5 Eduardo Camet 2 3 6 Edmond Wallace 2 4 7 Gaston Alibert 2 3 8 Léon Thiébaut 2 4 9 Henri Plommet 0 6

Results summary

Rank Fencer Nation Round 1Rank QuarterfinalsRank SemifinalsRank FinalWins FinalLosses Ramón Fonst 1st 3rd 3rd 4 2 Louis Perrée 1st 2nd 2nd 4 1 Léon Sée 1st 2nd 3rd 3 2 4 Georges de la Falaise 2nd 3rd 1st 3 3 5 Eduardo Camet 2nd 2nd 3rd 2 3 6 Edmond Wallace 2nd 1st 2nd 2 4 7 Gaston Alibert 1st 1st 1st 2 3 8 Léon Thiébaut 2nd 2nd 1st 2 4 9 Henri Plommet 1st 2nd 2nd 0 6 10–18 Maurice Boisdon 2nd 1st 4th–6th colspan=2 rowspan=9 Jean Dreyfuss 2nd 1st 4th–6th Alexandre Guillemand 1st 3rd 4th–6th Jacques Holzschuch 2nd 1st 4th–6th Élie, Count de Lastours 2nd 2nd 4th–6th Marcel Lévy 1st 3rd 4th–6th Jules de Pradel 1st 3rd 4th–6th Joseph-Marie Rosé 1st 3rd 4th–6th Richard Wallace 1st 1st 4th–6th 19–31 Henri-Georges Berger 2nd 4th–6th colspan=3 rowspan=16 Raoul Bideau 2nd 4th–6th Josiah Bowden 2nd 4th–6th Henri Jean Début 2nd 4th–6th Édouard Fouchier 2nd 4th–6th Giuseppe Giurato 1st 4th–6th Adrien Guyon 1st 4th–6th Jean-André Hilleret 2nd 4th–6th Freydoun Malkom 2nd 4th–6th Alphonse Moquet 2nd 4th–6th Jules Roffe 1st 4th–6th Tony Smet 1st 4th–6th Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve 1st 4th–6th 32 Maurice Jay 2nd André Rabel 1st Jean-Joseph Renaud 1st 35–104 Gaston Achille 3rd–7th rowspan=70 colspan=4 Adam 4th–6th Andreac 4th–6th Louis Bastien 3rd–6th Bazin 4th–6th H. Georges Berger 3rd–6th Clément de Boissière 3rd–6th Albert Cahen 3rd–6th Carlos de Candamo 3rd–6th de Cazenove 3rd–7th Laurent de Champeaux 3rd–6th René Jules Thion de la Chaume 3rd–7th Jacques de la Chevalerie 3rd–6th Olivier Collarini 3rd–6th Costiesco 4th–6th Delprat 3rd–6th Duclos 3rd–7th Ducreuil 3rd Marie Joseph Anatole Elie 3rd–6th Giunio Fedreghini 3rd–7th Fernandès 3rd–6th Fichot 3rd–7th Maurice Fleury 4th–6th Stan François 3rd–6th Gardiès 3rd–6th Grad 3rd–6th Hérrison 3rd–6th Pierre Georges Louis d'Hugues 3rd–6th Ivan Ivanovitch 3rd–6th Henri de Laborde 3rd–6th Lafontaine 3rd–6th Lariviére 3rd de Lastic 3rd–6th de Laugardière 3rd–6th Adjutant Lemoine 3rd–6th Georges Leroy 3rd–6th Charles Loizillon 3rd–6th Luquetas 3rd–6th Robert Marc 4th–6th Massé 3rd–6th de Meuse 3rd–6th Miller 3rd–6th Moreil 3rd–6th Achille Morin 3rd–6th Mosso 3rd–6th Ivan, Viscount d'Oyley 3rd–6th Peberay 3rd–6th Mauricio Álvarez de las Asturias Bohorques, 4th Duke of Gor 3rd–6th de Pradines 3rd–7th Preurot 3rd–6th Prosper 3rd–7th Georges Redeuil 3rd–6th Paul Robert 4th–6th Charles Robinson 3rd–6th Joseph Rodrigues 3rd–6th Max Rodrigues 3rd–6th André de Romilly 3rd–6th Pierre Rosenbaum 3rd–7th Salvanahac 3rd–6th de Segonzac 3rd–6th Joseph Sénat 3rd–6th Willy Sulzbacher 3rd Jean Taillefer 4th–6th Adolphe Thomegeux 3rd–6th Pierre Thomegeux 4th–6th André Tintant 3rd–6th de la Tournable 3rd–6th de Vars 3rd–6th Véve 3rd–6th Weber 3rd–7th

Notes