Foil, Individual, Women

Italy’s Valentina Vezzali had made her reputation as the finest female foil fencer of her generation. By the age of 30 she had both won and lost an individual Olympic final and was a two-time team gold medallist. She had also won seven World Championship gold medals and was a seven-time winner of the World Cup series. It came as no surprise when Vezzali and her friend and teammate Giovanna Trillini advanced to the final and only once, when Trillini defeated world silver medallist Sylwia Gruchała in the semi-final, was either of them put under pressure. Trillini took an early lead as the pair made a cautious start to the final before Vezzali recovered to draw level and finally pull away in the last third of the bout. Vezzali would return to defend her title again in 2008 then join a rare collection of Olympians who have won a medal in the same event at five successive celebrations when she won bronze in London.