Bernard Vallée

French sabre fencer Bernard Vallée began his career with the fencing section of the Paris Police Sports Association where he was trained by Maurice Piot. During the 1960s and 1970s Vallée won medals at multiple international competitions and was selected to compete at two Olympic Games. In 1966 and 1967 he won a bronze medal in the team sabre tournament at the World Fencing Championships. Vallée’s finest year was arguably 1967, as he won an individual sabre gold at the Summer Universiade in Tokyo and at the Mediterranean Games in Tunis.

In 1968 Vallée was part of the French delegation that finished in fourth place in the team sabre at the Mexico City Olympics. The following year he won his first French championship, with him winning his second national title in 1972. At the München Olympics he competed in both the individual and team sabre, reaching the semi-finals in the former. Vallée retired from fencing at the 1974 World Championships in Grenoble.