Team, Men

The two best teams were considered to be the Soviet Union and Hungary, with the United States a solid third. Hungary had won the Olympic team title in 1952 and 1960, while the Soviets won in 1956. At the World Championships, Hungary had won in 1954, 1955, and 1963, while the USSR won five consecutive titles between 1957 and 1962. In Tokyo, Hungary moved ahead after the fencing, with Austria second, the USA third, and the Soviets fourth. But the Soviet Union won the shooting phase to move into first place. The Americans outshot the Hungarians and moved into second, and that is how they would eventually finish – gold to the USSR, silver to the USA, and bronze to Hungary. Hungarian Ottó Török took one shot too many in his series and was given a 420-point penalty, which cost the Hungarian team mightily. The Soviet Union opened up a huge lead in the last two phases, while the United States held a very tight 15-point margin over the Magyars. Hungary was hampered by the absence of multiple World Champion András Balczó and his teammate István Moná. They were both in prison in 1964 after they were discovered to have smuggled watches out after a meet in Switzerland.