| | Event type
Foil, Individual, Men
| Date | 6 – 8 July 1912 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Östermalms Idrottsplats, Stockholm |
| Participants | 94 from 15 countries |
Standings in the pools were based on the greater number of victories, then by the greater number of touches scored, and finally by the fewest number of touches received.
The fencing federations of different countries were divided between two styles of foil fencing - the French school and the Italian school. But the French boycotted the Olympic fencing competition, upset with the rules. They proposed that the touch surfaces should include the upper arm, but this was rejected. With the best French fencers absent, the foil event was left to the Italians.
The foil gold medal went to Italy’s Nedo Nadi, who advanced through four rounds with the loss of only one match. In 1920 at Antwerp, Nadi defended his foil gold medal, and won five gold medals in fencing at the 1920 Olympics.
Round One
| Date | 6 – 7 July 1912 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top three finishers in each pool advanced to quarter-finals. |
Pool #1
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 08:00-10:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Léon Tom |  BEL | 0 | ||
| 2 | Vilém Tvrzský |  BOH | 1 | ||
| 3 | Dezső Földes |  HUN | 2 | ||
| =4 | Dmitry Knyazhevich |  RUS | 3 | ||
| =4 | Andreas Suttner |  AUT | 3 | ||
| Eric Carlberg |  SWE | – | |||
| Fritz Jack |  GER | – |
Pool #2
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 08:00-10:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcel Berré | BEL | 0 | ||
| =2 | Marc Larimer |  USA | 2 | ||
| =2 | Edgar Amphlett |  GBR | 2 | ||
| =4 | Johann Adam | GER | 3 | ||
| =4 | Feliks Leparsky | RUS | 3 | ||
| Giovanni Benfratello |  ITA | – | |||
| Karl-Gustaf Krokstedt | SWE | – |
Pool #3
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 08:00-10:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Gordon Alexander | GBR | 1 | ||
| =1 | Albertson Van Zo Post | USA | 1 | ||
| 3 | Josef Pfeiffer | BOH | 2 | ||
| 4 | Bertalan Dunay | HUN | 2 | ||
| 5 | Pavel Guvorsky | RUS | 4 | ||
| Alfred Pontenani | ITA | – | |||
| Georg Stöhr | GER | – |
Pool #4
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 08:00-10:30 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nedo Nadi | ITA | 0 | ||
| 2 | Zoltán Schenker | HUN | 1 | ||
| 3 | Scott Breckinridge | USA | 3 | ||
| 4 | Miloš Klika | BOH | 3 | ||
| =5 | Walter Gates |  RSA | 4 | ||
| =5 | Percy Davson | GBR | 4 | ||
| 7 | Julius Thomson | GER | 6 | ||
| Perikles Georgakopoulos |  GRE | – |
Pool #5
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julius Lichtenfels | GER | 1 | ||
| 2 | Arthur Fagan | GBR | 2 | ||
| 3 | Jens Ole Berthelsen |  DEN | 3 | ||
| =4 | Gaston Salmon | BEL | 3 | ||
| =4 | Graeme Hammond | USA | 3 | ||
| 6 | Gustaf Armgarth | SWE | 4 | ||
| 7 | Vladimir Kayser | RUS | 5 |
Pool #6
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francesco Pietrasanta | ITA | 0 | ||
| 2 | Fernand de Montigny | BEL | 1 | ||
| 3 | Sotirios Notaris | GRE | 2 | ||
| =4 | Ernest Stenson-Cooke | GBR | 4 | ||
| =4 | Lars Aas |  NOR | 4 | ||
| =4 | John MacLaughlin | USA | 4 | ||
| 7 | Nikolay Goredetsky | RUS | 6 |
Pool #7
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Sherman Hall | USA | 1 | ||
| =1 | Victor Willems | BEL | 1 | ||
| 3 | Pietro Speciale | ITA | 2 | ||
| =4 | Sydney Martineau | GBR | 3 | ||
| =4 | Aleksandr Mordovin | RUS | 3 | ||
| =6 | Birger Personne | SWE | 4 | ||
| =6 | Hans Olsen | DEN | 4 |
Pool #8
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Rayner | USA | 0 | ||
| 2 | Béla Zulawszky | HUN | 1 | ||
| 3 | Adolf Davids | GER | 2 | ||
| 4 | Ragnar Grönvall | SWE | 3 | ||
| 5 | Vladimir Samoylov | RUS | 4 | ||
| Ugo Di Nola | ITA | – | |||
| Vincenc Rechner | BOH | – |
Pool #9
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 16:00-19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Edgar Seligman | GBR | 1 | ||
| =1 | Béla Békessy | HUN | 1 | ||
| 3 | Wilhelm Löffler | GER | 2 | ||
| 4 | Josef Javůrek | BOH | 3 | ||
| 5 | Franz Dereani | AUT | 4 | ||
| 6 | Ernest Gignoux | USA | 5 | ||
| Dino Diana | ITA | – |
Pool #10
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 16:00-19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ejnar Levison | DEN | 0 | ||
| 2 | Pál Pajzs | HUN | 1 | ||
| 3 | Hermann Plaskuda | GER | 2 | ||
| =4 | Josef Puhm | AUT | 3 | ||
| =4 | William Bowman | USA | 3 | ||
| 6 | Zdeněk Vávra | BOH | 5 | ||
| Giuseppe Castorina | ITA | – |
Pool #11
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 16:00-19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan Osiier | DEN | 0 | ||
| =2 | Axel Jöhncke | SWE | 2 | ||
| =2 | Friedrich Golling | AUT | 2 | ||
| 4 | Gavriil Bertren | RUS | 2 | ||
| Gino Belloni | ITA | – | |||
| Walter Kudloff | GER | – | |||
| François Rom | BEL | – |
Pool #12
| Time | 6 July 1912 — 16:00-19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edoardo Alaimo | ITA | 0 | ||
| 2 | Péter Tóth | HUN | 1 | ||
| 3 | Vilém Goppold z Lobsdorfu, Jr. | BOH | 2 | ||
| 4 | Alfred Sauer | USA | 3 | ||
| =5 | Vladimir Sarnavsky | RUS | 4 | ||
| =5 | Albert Naumann | GER | 4 | ||
| Henry Peyron | SWE | – |
Pool #13
| Time | 7 July 1912 — 08:00-11:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Anspach | BEL | 0 | ||
| =2 | Karl Hjorth | SWE | 1 | ||
| =2 | Robert Montgomerie | GBR | 1 | ||
| =4 | Lev Martyushev | RUS | 3 | ||
| =4 | Oluf Berntsen | DEN | 3 | ||
| =6 | Georges von Tangen | NOR | 5 | ||
| =6 | Reinhold Trampler | AUT | 5 | ||
| Félix Vigeveno |  NED | – |
Pool #14
| Time | 7 July 1912 — 08:00-11:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Henri Anspach | BEL | 1 | ||
| =1 | Richard Verderber | AUT | 1 | ||
| =1 | Bjarne Eriksen | NOR | 1 | ||
| 4 | Arie de Jong | NED | 3 | ||
| 5 | Anatoly Yakovlev | RUS | 4 | ||
| Ahmed Mohamed Hassanein |  EGY | – | |||
| Gustaf Lindblom | SWE | – |
Pool #15
| Time | 7 July 1912 — 08:00-11:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Jacques Ochs | BEL | 1 | ||
| =1 | László Berti | HUN | 1 | ||
| 3 | Lauritz Christian Østrup | DEN | 2 | ||
| 4 | Heinrich Ziegler | GER | 2 | ||
| 5 | Rudolf Cvetko | AUT | 3 | ||
| 6 | František Kříž | BOH | 5 | ||
| Carl Setterberg | SWE | – |
Pool #16
| Time | 7 July 1912 — 08:00-11:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Fernando Cavallini | ITA | 1 | ||
| =1 | Robert Hennet | BEL | 1 | ||
| =1 | Emil Schön | GER | 1 | ||
| 4 | George Breed | USA | 3 | ||
| 5 | Leonid Grinyov | RUS | 4 | ||
| 6 | Gunnar Böös | SWE | 5 | ||
| Jaroslav Tuček | BOH | – |
Quarter-Finals
| Date | 7 July 1912 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top three finishers in each pool advanced to semi-finals. |
Pool #1
| Time | 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoltán Schenker | HUN | 0 | ||
| 2 | Nedo Nadi | ITA | 1 | ||
| 3 | Julius Lichtenfels | GER | 1 | ||
| 4 | Gordon Alexander | GBR | 3 | ||
| =5 | Léon Tom | BEL | 4 | ||
| =5 | Marc Larimer | USA | 4 |
Pool #2
| Time | 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Béla Zulawszky | HUN | 0 | ||
| 2 | Vilém Tvrzský | BOH | 1 | ||
| 3 | Edgar Amphlett | GBR | 2 | ||
| 4 | Jens Ole Berthelsen | DEN | 3 | ||
| 5 | Francesco Pietrasanta | ITA | 4 | ||
| Albertson Van Zo Post | USA | – |
Pool #3
| Time | 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pietro Speciale | ITA | 0 | ||
| =2 | Edgar Seligman | GBR | 1 | ||
| =2 | Dezső Földes | HUN | 1 | ||
| =4 | Marcel Berré | BEL | 3 | ||
| =4 | Scott Breckinridge | USA | 3 | ||
| 6 | Josef Pfeiffer | BOH | 5 |
Pool #4
| Time | 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Edoardo Alaimo | ITA | 0 | ||
| =1 | Béla Békessy | HUN | 0 | ||
| 3 | Sherman Hall | USA | 1 | ||
| =4 | Adolf Davids | GER | 3 | ||
| =4 | Axel Jöhncke | SWE | 3 | ||
| =4 | Fernand de Montigny | BEL | 3 |
Pool #5
| Time | 16:00-19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Ivan Osiier | DEN | 1 | ||
| =1 | Péter Tóth | HUN | 1 | ||
| =1 | Victor Willems | BEL | 1 | ||
| =4 | Sotirios Notaris | GRE | 3 | ||
| =4 | Wilhelm Löffler | GER | 3 | ||
| 6 | Harold Rayner | USA | 4 |
Pool #6
| Time | 16:00-19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Henri Anspach | BEL | 1 | ||
| =1 | Fernando Cavallini | ITA | 1 | ||
| 3 | Pál Pajzs | HUN | 2 | ||
| 4 | Karl Hjorth | SWE | 3 | ||
| =5 | Arthur Fagan | GBR | 4 | ||
| =5 | Friedrich Golling | AUT | 4 |
Pool #7
| Time | 16:00-19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Hennet | BEL | 1 | ||
| 2 | Robert Montgomerie | GBR | 2 | ||
| 3 | Richard Verderber | AUT | 2 | ||
| =4 | Lauritz Christian Østrup | DEN | 3 | ||
| =4 | Vilém Goppold z Lobsdorfu, Jr. | BOH | 3 | ||
| 6 | Hermann Plaskuda | GER | 4 |
Pool #8
| Time | 16:00-19:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | László Berti | HUN | 1 | ||
| 2 | Paul Anspach | BEL | 2 | ||
| 3 | Emil Schön | GER | 3 | ||
| =4 | Bjarne Eriksen | NOR | 3 | ||
| =4 | Ejnar Levison | DEN | 3 | ||
| =4 | Jacques Ochs | BEL | 3 |
Semi-Finals
| Date | 8 July 1912 — 09:00-12:00 |
|---|---|
| Format | Top two finishers in each pool advanced to final. |
Pool #1
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Edoardo Alaimo | ITA | 1 | ||
| =1 | Edgar Seligman | GBR | 1 | ||
| =3 | Pál Pajzs | HUN | 2 | ||
| =3 | Zoltán Schenker | HUN | 2 | ||
| 5 | Robert Hennet | BEL | 3 | ||
| 6 | Vilém Tvrzský | BOH | 4 |
Pool #2
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nedo Nadi | ITA | 0 | ||
| 2 | Béla Békessy | HUN | 1 | ||
| =3 | Emil Schön | GER | 2 | ||
| =3 | Paul Anspach | BEL | 2 | ||
| 5 | Ivan Osiier | DEN | 3 | ||
| Edgar Amphlett | GBR | – |
Pool #3
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pietro Speciale | ITA | 0 | ||
| 2 | Robert Montgomerie | GBR | 2 | ||
| 3 | Péter Tóth | HUN | 2 | ||
| =4 | Béla Zulawszky | HUN | 3 | ||
| =4 | Henri Anspach | BEL | 3 | ||
| =4 | Julius Lichtenfels | GER | 3 |
Pool #4
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts Lost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | László Berti | HUN | 0 | ||
| =1 | Richard Verderber | AUT | 0 | ||
| 3 | Sherman Hall | USA | 2 | ||
| 4 | Victor Willems | BEL | 3 | ||
| Dezső Földes | HUN | – | |||
| Fernando Cavallini | ITA | – |
Final Pool
| Date | 8 July 1912 — 13:00-16:00 |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor | NOC | Bouts | Touches | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nedo Nadi | ITA | 7-0 | 35-8 | ||
| 2 | Pietro Speciale | ITA | 5-2 | 29-24 | ||
| 3 | Richard Verderber | AUT | 4-3 | 27-25 | ||
| 4 | László Berti | HUN | 4-3 | 23-25 | ||
| 5 | Edoardo Alaimo | ITA | 4-3 | 27-26 | ||
| 6 | Edgar Seligman | GBR | 3-4 | 23-29 | ||
| 7 | Béla Békessy | HUN | 1-6 | 20-34 | ||
| 8 | Robert Montgomerie | GBR | 0-7 | 22-35 |