Tokyo 2021-Fencing: Romain Cannone Olympic champion, first gold medal for France
French swordsman Romain Cannone, July 25, 2021 in Tokyo.
AP - Hassan Ammar
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
3 min
Swordsman Romain Cannone won gold in Tokyo after a perfect Sunday.
The French beat the top three in the world, including Hungarian number one Gergely Siklosi in the final, to clinch the Olympic title in épée.
It is the first gold medal of the French delegation in Japan.
Publicity
Read more
After the bronze of
Luka Mkheidze
and the silver of
Amandine Buchard
in judo, France holds its first gold medal of the Olympic Games 2021. And it comes from fencing thanks to an almost unknown, now in full light: Romain Cannone.
At 24, the swordsman, who ranks 47th in the world and who had never been on a podium before, is the new Olympic champion in his discipline.
The Frenchman had a dream day at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, the hall where the fencing events of these Games are held.
He struck a blow as soon as he entered the running by beating the Venezuelan Ruben Limardo Gascon (15-12), Olympic champion in 2012 in London.
He then defeated the experienced Dutchman Bas Verwijlen (15-11).
In the quarterfinals, Romain Cannone tamed Russian Sergey Bida (under the Olympic banner), world number two in épée (15-12).
And in the semi-final, the French beat the world number three, the Ukrainian Igor Reizlin (15-10), to offer himself a place in the final.
His opponent: Hungarian Gergely Siklosi, world number and reigning world champion.
The Frenchman got off to the best start in the first third of the final, but his opponent resurfaced before the first break (4-4).
In the second half, the two finalists tied the game for a time before Cannone's counter hits gave him a scoring advantage: 12-8, then 14-9 at the end of the second period.
And in the last third, the tricolor fencer scored the last touch he lacked to adorn himself with gold (15-10).
More information to follow
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Olympic Games
2020 Olympics
Fencing
France
On the same subject
Tokyo 2021: Côte d'Ivoire close to quarters, South Africa and Egypt punished
Tokyo 2021: good start for African boxers, first medal in taekwondo