Fencing: Italy’s Luigi Samele takes bronze in men’s sabre individual at Paris 2024

At the inaugural fencing competition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Italy’s Luigi Samele won bronze in the men’s sabre individual with a 15-12 win over Egypt’s Ziad Elsissy, who finished in fourth. The competition was held at the majestic Grand Palais.

This marks the fourth Oylmpic medal for Samele, who earned two silver medals at Tokyo 2020 in individual sabre and team sabre. He also earned a bronze medal in team sabre at London 2012.

Samele shared his insights from the "amazing fight with Ziad." Samele said,"He [Elsissy] was in control in the beginning. Then I changed and I kept the centre of the strip. I kept the control. Then I started to think, ‘Maybe I made it.’ So I was more free mentally.

"In my mind I said, ‘OK, you’re going to do this action, and this action, and it’s going to work - and it worked."

Folliowng the match, Samele and Elsissy shared an emotional hug, Samele said, "“We are friends. I respect him very much. He is such a fighter. He’s a good person and very strong."

Republic of Korea's Sanguk Oh won gold and Tunisia’s Fares Ferjani took silver.

Fencing: men’s sabre individual

Gold: Oh Sanguk, Republic of Korea
Silver: Fares Ferjani, Tunisia
Bronze: Luigi Samele, Italy