Sabre, Individual, Men

The maximum permitted blade length was increased to 900 mm but the dimensions of the guard and maximum overall weight remained the same as in 1908. These dimensions were later to be adopted by the FIE. The target area for sabre was reduced from the whole body to “toutes les parties du corps, situées au-dessus de la ligne horizontale passant par la fourche” (“all body parts, located above the horizontal line passing through the crotch”) which seems to mean that touches to the lower torso and hips were valid but touches to the legs were not. It was only after the First World War that the modern sabre target was adopted. 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.

In 1908 at London, Hungary began their dominance of Olympic sabre fencing. They won the team event, and Jenő Fuchs won the individual sabre gold medal. Fuchs was back in Stockholm, the leader of a powerful Hungarian sabre team. Seven of the eight finalists were Hungarian, and Fuchs defended his Olympic gold medal.

From 1908 through 1964 a Hungarian fencer always won the sabre gold medal at the Olympics, with the exception of 1920, when Hungary was not invited as they were considered an aggressor nation in World War I. Hungarians also won all the world championships in individual sabre from 1923 through 1937 and, after World War II, 1951-55.