Épée, Masters, Individual, Men

Fencing masters events were contested among teaching professionals, and fencing was the only sport that allowed professionals in the early days of the Olympics. This event was only on the Olympic Program in 1900 and 1906. There are 42 known competitors, out of the 90 entries, but 12 fencers’ names cannot be found in 1900 sources. There were four nations represented, but most of the fencers were French. However, there was one fencer from Haiti, Léon Thiércelin. There were nine round-robin pools in the first round, with the top two in each pool moving onto the three semi-finals pools. The top three in each semi-final qualified for the final, which was a round-robin of nine fencers. Details of the final matches are not available but the medals were swept by France, with Albert Ayat winning the gold medal, Gilbert Bougnol the silver, and Henri Laurent bronze. The top four competitors in this event were eligible for an épée event among masters and amateurs, also including the top four in the amateur épée. Ayat would also win that event.