Nicolas LOPEZ

While a three-time French sabre champion, Nicolas Lopez was not one of the favorites for a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. When Lopez drew top favorite Stanislav Pozdnyakov, five-time world champion (including 2006 and 2007), his chances of a medal seemed slim. But the Frenchman caused an upset, beating the Russian 15-8. Lopez continued to show good form, and proceed to the final, where he was finally defeated by Zhong Man. In addition to his individual silver medal, Lopez competed on the victorious French team that defeated the US in the team final. It was Lopez’ second international title, having earlier won the team world title in 2006, adding to a 2007 silver and a 2005 bronze.