Fencing at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's foil
# Fencing at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's foil

The men's foil was a fencing event held as part of the Fencing at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth appearance of the event, which had not been contested in 1908. There were 94 competitors from 15 nations, a large increase from the 9 fencers who had competed in 1904. The event was won by Nedo Nadi of Italy, the first of his two victories in the event. His countryman Pietro Speciale took silver, while Richard Verderber of Austria took bronze.

## Background

This was the fourth 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). The organizers of the 1912 Games explicitly rejected the 1908 organizers' view that foil fencing was not suitable for competition. The only fencer from 1904 to return was silver medalist Albertson Van Zo Post of the United States. France and Italy were the strongest nations in foil fencing; a dispute over the rules led to the French team boycotting the fencing competitions.

Bohemia, Denmark, Great Britain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, and South Africa each made their debut in the men's foil. The United States made its third appearance, having missed only the inaugural 1896 competition.

## Competition format

The event used a four-round format. In each round, the fencers were divided into pools to play a round-robin within the pool. Bouts were to five touches. Standard foil 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. However, there were significant disputes over particulars of the rules, which led to the French boycott.

* Round 1: There were 16 pools, each of between 4 and 7 fencers. The top 3 fencers in each pool advanced to the quarterfinals.
* Quarterfinals: There were 8 pools of 6 fencers each. The top 3 fencers in each quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals.
* Semifinals: There were 4 pools of 6 fencers each. The top 2 fencers in each semifinal advanced to the final.
* Final: The final pool had 8 fencers.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Round |
| - | - | - |
| Saturday, 6 July 1912 | 8:00 13:00 16:00 | Round 1 pools A–D Round 1 pools E–H Round 1 pools I–L |
| Sunday, 7 July 1912 | 8:00 13:00 16:00 | Round 1 pools M–P Quarterfinals pools A–D Quarterfinals pools E–H |
| Monday, 8 July 1912 | 9:00 13:00 | Semifinals Final |

## Results

### Round 1

**Pool A**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Léon Tom | Belgium | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Viliam Tvrzský | Bohemia | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Dezső Földes | Hungary | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Dmitry Knyazhevich | Russia | 3 | |
| 4 | Andreas Suttner | Austria | 3 | |

**Pool B**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Marcel Berré | Belgium | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Marc Larimer | United States | 2 | Q |
| 2 | Edgar Amphlett | Great Britain | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Johannes Adam | Germany | 3 | |
| 4 | Feliks Leparsky | Russia | 3 | |

**Pool C**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Gordon Alexander | Great Britain | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Albertson van zo Post | United States | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Josef Pfeiffer | Bohemia | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Bertalan Dunay | Hungary | 2 | |
| 5 | Pavel Guvorsky | Russia | 4 | |

**Pool D**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Nedo Nadi | Italy | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Zoltán Schenker | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Scott Breckenridge | United States | 3 | Q |
| 4 | Miloš Klika | Bohemia | 3 | |
| 5 | Walter Gate | South Africa | 4 | |
| 5 | Percival Davson | Great Britain | 4 | |
| 7 | Julius Thomson | Germany | 6 | |

**Pool E**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Julius Lichtenfels | Germany | 1 | Q |
| 2 | Arthur Fagan | Great Britain | 2 | Q |
| 3 | Jens Berthelsen | Denmark | 3 | Q |
| 4 | Graeme Hammond | United States | 3 | |
| 4 | Gaston Salmon | Belgium | 3 | |
| 6 | Gustaf Armgarth | Sweden | 4 | |
| 7 | Vladimir Kayser | Russia | 5 | |

**Pool F**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Francesco Pietrasanta | Italy | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Fernand de Montigny | Belgium | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Sotirios Notaris | Greece | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Lars Aas | Norway | 4 | |
| 4 | Ernest Stenson-Cooke | Great Britain | 4 | |
| 4 | John MacLaughlin | United States | 4 | |
| 7 | Nikolay Goredetsky | Russia | 6 | |

**Pool G**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sherman Hall | United States | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Victor Willems | Belgium | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Pietro Speciale | Italy | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Sydney Martineau | Great Britain | 3 | |
| 4 | Aleksandr Mordovin | Russia | 3 | |
| 6 | Hans Olsen | Denmark | 4 | |
| 6 | Carl Personne | Sweden | 4 | |

**Pool H**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Harold Raynor | United States | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Béla Zulavsky | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Adolf Davids | Germany | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Nils Grönvall | Sweden | 3 | |
| 5 | Vladimir Samoylov | Russia | 4 | |

**Pool I**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Béla Békessy | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Edgar Seligman | Great Britain | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Wilhelm Löffler | Germany | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Josef Javůrek | Bohemia | 3 | |
| 5 | Franz Dereani | Austria | 4 | |
| 6 | John Gignoux | United States | 5 | |

**Pool J**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Einar Levison | Denmark | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Pál Pajzs | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Hermann Plaskuda | Germany | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Josef Puhm | Austria | 3 | |
| 4 | William Bowman | United States | 3 | |
| 6 | Zdeněk Vávra | Bohemia | 5 | |

**Pool K**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ivan Osiier | Denmark | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Axel Jöhncke | Sweden | 2 | Q |
| 3 | Friedrich Golling | Austria | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Gavriil Bertrain | Russia | 2 | |

**Pool L**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Edoardo Alaimo | Italy | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Péter Tóth | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Vilém Goppold, Jr. | Bohemia | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Alfred Sauer | United States | 3 | |
| 5 | Albert Naumann | Germany | 4 | |
| 5 | Vladimir Sarnavsky | Russia | 4 | |

**Pool M**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Paul Anspach | Belgium | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Carl Hjorth | Sweden | 1 | Q |
| 2 | Robert Montgomerie | Great Britain | 1 | Q |
| 4 | Oluf Berntsen | Denmark | 3 | |
| 4 | Lev Martyushev | Russia | 3 | |
| 6 | Christopher von Tangen | Norway | 5 | |
| 6 | Reinhold Trampler | Austria | 5 | |

**Pool N**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Henri Anspach | Belgium | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Bjarne Eriksen | Norway | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Richard Verderber | Austria | 1 | Q |
| 4 | Adrianus de Jong | Netherlands | 3 | |
| 5 | Anatoly Zhakovlev | Russia | 4 | |
| — | A M Hassanein | Egypt | DNS | |

**Pool O**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | László Berti | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Jacques Ochs | Belgium | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Lauritz Østrup | Denmark | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Heinrich Ziegler | Germany | 2 | |
| 5 | Rudolf Cvetko | Austria | 3 | |
| 6 | František Kříž | Bohemia | 5 | |

**Pool P**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Fernando Cavallini | Italy | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Robert Hennet | Belgium | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Emil Schön | Germany | 1 | Q |
| 4 | George Breed | United States | 3 | |
| 5 | Leonid Grinev | Russia | 4 | |
| 6 | Gunnar Böös | Sweden | 5 | |

### Quarterfinals

**Quarterfinal A**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Zoltán Schenker | Hungary | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Nedo Nadi | Italy | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Julius Lichtenfels | Germany | 1 | Q |
| 4 | Gordon Alexander | Great Britain | 3 | |
| 5 | Marc Larimer | United States | 4 | |
| 5 | Léon Tom | Belgium | 4 | |

**Quarterfinal B**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Béla Zulavsky | Hungary | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Viliam Tvrzský | Bohemia | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Edgar Amphlett | Great Britain | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Jens Berthelsen | Denmark | 3 | |
| 5 | Francesco Pietrasanta | Italy | 4 | |
| — | Albertson van zo Post | United States | DNS | |

**Quarterfinal C**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Pietro Speciale | Italy | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Dezső Földes | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 2 | Edgar Seligman | Great Britain | 1 | Q |
| 4 | Marcel Berré | Belgium | 3 | |
| 4 | Scott Breckinridge | United States | 3 | |
| 6 | Josef Pfeiffer | Bohemia | 5 | |

**Quarterfinal D**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Edoardo Alaimo | Italy | 0 | Q |
| 1 | Béla Békessy | Hungary | 0 | Q |
| 3 | Sherman Hall | United States | 1 | Q |
| 4 | Adolf Davids | Germany | 3 | |
| 4 | Axel Jöhncke | Sweden | 3 | |
| 4 | Fernand de Montigny | Belgium | 3 | |

**Quarterfinal E**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ivan Osiier | Denmark | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Péter Tóth | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Victor Willems | Belgium | 1 | Q |
| 4 | Wilhelm Löffler | Germany | 3 | |
| 4 | Sotirios Notaris | Greece | 3 | |
| 6 | Harold Rayner | United States | 4 | |

**Quarterfinal F**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Henri Anspach | Belgium | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Fernando Cavallini | Italy | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Pál Pajzs | Hungary | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Carl Hjorth | Sweden | 3 | |
| 5 | Arthur Fagan | Great Britain | 4 | |
| 5 | Friedrich Golling | Austria | 4 | |

**Quarterfinal G**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Robert Hennet | Belgium | 1 | Q |
| 2 | Robert Montgomerie | Great Britain | 2 | Q |
| 3 | Richard Verderber | Austria | 2 | Q |
| 4 | Vilém Goppold, Jr. | Bohemia | 3 | |
| 4 | Lauritz Østrup | Denmark | 3 | |
| 6 | Hermann Plaskuda | Germany | 4 | |

**Quarterfinal H**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Lázsló Berty | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 2 | Paul Anspach | Belgium | 2 | Q |
| 3 | Emil Schön | Germany | 3 | Q |
| 4 | Bjarne Eriksen | Norway | 3 | |
| 4 | Einar Levison | Denmark | 3 | |
| 4 | Jacques Ochs | Belgium | 3 | |

### Semifinals

**Semifinal A**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Edoardo Alaimo | Italy | 1 | Q |
| 1 | Edgar Seligman | Great Britain | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Pál Pajzs | Hungary | 2 | |
| 3 | Zoltán Schenker | Hungary | 2 | |
| 5 | Robert Hennet | Belgium | 3 | |
| 6 | Viliam Tvrzský | Bohemia | 4 | |

**Semifinal B**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Nedo Nadi | Italy | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Béla Békessy | Hungary | 1 | Q |
| 3 | Paul Anspach | Belgium | 2 | |
| 3 | Emil Schön | Germany | 2 | |
| 5 | Ivan Osiier | Denmark | | |
| — | Edgar Amphlett | Great Britain | DNF | |

**Semifinal C**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Pietro Speciale | Italy | 0 | Q |
| 2 | Robert Montgomerie | Great Britain | 2 | Q |
| 3 | Péter Tóth | Hungary | 2 | |
| 4 | Henri Anspach | Belgium | 3 | |
| 4 | Julius Lichtenfels | Germany | 3 | |
| 4 | Béla Zulavsky | Hungary | 3 | |

**Semifinal D**

| Rank | Fencer | Nation | Losses | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Richard Verderber | Austria | 0 | Q |
| 1 | László Berti | Hungary | 0 | Q |
| 3 | Sherman Hall | United States | 2 | |
| 3 | Victor Willems | Belgium | 3 | |
| — | Fernando Cavallini | Italy | DNF | |
| — | Dezső Földes | Hungary | DNF | |

### Final

The first tie-breaker was hits received in victories; Verderber and Berti each were hit 10 times in their 4 wins, while Alaimo was hit 11 times in his 4 wins.

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | NN | PS | RV | LB | EA | ES | BB | RM |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Nedo Nadi (ITA) | 7 | 0 | 35 | 8 | | 5–1 | 5–0 | 5–0 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 5–3 | 5–2 |
| | Pietro Speciale (ITA) | 5 | 2 | 29 | 24 | 1–5 | | 5–3 | 5–2 | 3–5 | 5–2 | 5–4 | 5–3 |
| | Richard Verderber (AUT) | 4 | 3 | 27 | 25 | 0–5 | 3–5 | | 4–5 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 5–2 | 5–2 |
| 4 | László Berti (HUN) | 4 | 3 | 23 | 25 | 0–5 | 2–5 | 5–4 | | 5–2 | 1–5 | 5–1 | 5–3 |
| 5 | Edoardo Alaimo (ITA) | 4 | 3 | 27 | 26 | 1–5 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 2–5 | | 5–3 | 5–1 | 5–4 |
| 6 | Edgar Seligman (GBR) | 3 | 4 | 23 | 29 | 1–5 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 3–5 | | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 7 | Béla Békessy (HUN) | 1 | 6 | 20 | 34 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 2–5 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 4–5 | | 5–4 |
| 8 | Robert Montgomerie (GBR) | 0 | 7 | 22 | 35 | 2–5 | 3–5 | 2–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | |
