| | Event type

Foil, Individual, Women

Date	31 July – 2 August 1948
Status	Olympic
Location	Palace of Engineering, Wembley, London
Participants	39 from 15 countries

It might have been 12 years since the Berlin Olympics but Ilona Elek of Hungary was still the best female fencer in the world. After surviving a barrage in her quarter-final pool, she recovered to become the first woman to retain an Olympic title in fencing. Her attempt at a third straight title in 1952 was thwarted only by the narrowest of margins.

Karen Lachmann of Denmark improved from fifth in Berlin to place second in London, with Ellen Müller-Preis of Austria winning a third successive medal behind her.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC
1	302	Ilona Elek	HUN	Gold
2	289	Karen Lachmann	DEN	Silver
3	279	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	Bronze
4	314	Maria Cerra	USA
5	278	Fritzi Filz	AUT
6	301	Margit Elek	HUN
7	306	Velleda Cesari	ITA
8	296	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR
5 p1 r3/4	305	Irene Camber-Corno	ITA
5 p2 r3/4	284	Jenny Addams	BEL
6 p1 r3/4	303	Éva Kun	HUN
6 p2 r3/4	298	Gytte Minton	GBR
4 p1 r2/4	276	Irma de Antequeda	ARG
4 p2 r2/4	293	Renée Garilhe	FRA
4 p3 r2/4	291	Grethe Olsen	DEN
4 p4 r2/4	316	Jan York	USA
5 p1 r2/4	295	Louisette Malherbaud	FRA
5 p3 r2/4	294	Françoise Gouny	FRA
5 p4 r2/4	275	Elsa Irigoyen	ARG
=5 p2 r2/4	304	Elena Libera	ITA
=5 p2 r2/4	290	Kate Mahaut	DEN
6 p1 r2/4	280	Gabriele Zeilinger	AUT
6 p3 r2/4	315	Helena Dow	USA
6 p4 r2/4	312	Anita Klüpfel	SUI
5 p1 r1/4	299	Mary Meyer-van der Sluis	NED
5 p2 r1/4	300	Anja Secrève	NED
5 p3 r1/4	287	Rhoda Martin	CAN
5 p4 r1/4	309	Enriqueta Mayora	MEX
5 p5 r1/4	297	Betty Arbuthnott	GBR
5 p6 r1/4	313	Hedwig Rieder	SUI
6 p1 r1/4	310	Irena Nawrocka	POL
6 p2 r1/4	307	Nadia Boudesoque	MEX
6 p3 r1/4	277	Nélida Fullone	ARG
6 p4 r1/4	288	Betty Hamilton	CAN
6 p5 r1/4	311	Vera Hagemann	SUI
6 p6 r1/4	285	Adèle Christiaens	BEL
7 p1 r1/4	292	Tommy Dermody	IRL
7 p2 r1/4	286	Emilie Schwind	BEL
7 p6 r1/4	308	Emma Ruiz	MEX
DNS	282		BRA		1
DNS	283		BRA		2

Round One

Date	31 July 1948
Format	Top four finishers in each pool advanced to quarter-finals.

Pool #1

Time	09:00
Jury President	György Piller	HUN

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches
1	314	Maria Cerra	USA	5-1	–-–	Q
2	312	Anita Klüpfel	SUI	4-2	16-14	Q
3	303	Éva Kun	HUN	4-2	21-14	Q
4	291	Grethe Olsen	DEN	3-2	–-–	Q
5	299	Mary Meyer-van der Sluis	NED	2-4	–-17
6	310	Irena Nawrocka	POL	2-4	–-20
7	292	Tommy Dermody	IRL	0-6	–-–

Pool #2

Time	09:00
Jury President	Renato Anselmi	ITA

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches Received
1	289	Karen Lachmann	DEN	6-0	–	Q
2	293	Renée Garilhe	FRA	5-1	–	Q
3	305	Irene Camber-Corno	ITA	3-3	15	Q
4	278	Fritzi Filz	AUT	3-3	17	Q
5	300	Anja Secrève	NED	2-4	16
6	307	Nadia Boudesoque	MEX	2-4	21
7	286	Emilie Schwind	BEL	0-6	–

Pool #3

Time	09:00
Jury President	Julien Eggermont	BEL

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts
1	302	Ilona Elek	HUN	5-0	Q
2	316	Jan York	USA	4-1	Q
3	284	Jenny Addams	BEL	3-2	Q
4	298	Gytte Minton	GBR	1-4	Q
5	287	Rhoda Martin	CAN	1-4
6	277	Nélida Fullone	ARG	1-4
DNS	282		BRA	–-–		3

Pool #4

Time	11:00
Jury President	György Piller	HUN

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches Received
1	280	Gabriele Zeilinger	AUT	4-1	–	Q
2	294	Françoise Gouny	FRA	3-2	10	Q
3	290	Kate Mahaut	DEN	3-2	12	Q
4	306	Velleda Cesari	ITA	3-2	13	Q
5	309	Enriqueta Mayora	MEX	2-3	–
6	288	Betty Hamilton	CAN	0-5	–
DNS	283		BRA	–-–	–		4

Pool #5

Time	11:00
Jury President	Renato Anselmi	ITA

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches Received
1	301	Margit Elek	HUN	4-1	–	Q
2	295	Louisette Malherbaud	FRA	3-1	7	Q
3	304	Elena Libera	ITA	3-1	13	Q
4	275	Elsa Irigoyen	ARG	2-3	–	Q
5	297	Betty Arbuthnott	GBR	1-4	17
6	311	Vera Hagemann	SUI	1-4	18

Pool #6

Time	11:00
Jury President	Julien Eggermont	BEL

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches Received
1	279	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	5-1	9	Q
2	296	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR	5-1	15	Q
3	276	Irma de Antequeda	ARG	4-2	–	Q
4	315	Helena Dow	USA	3-3	–	Q
5	313	Hedwig Rieder	SUI	3-3	–
6	285	Adèle Christiaens	BEL	1-5	–
7	308	Emma Ruiz	MEX	0-6	–

Quarter-Finals

Date	31 July 1948 — 15:00
Format	Top three finishers in each pool advanced to semi-finals.

Pool #1

Jury President	Ivan Osiier	DEN

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches Received
1	314	Maria Cerra	USA	4-1	10	Q
2	284	Jenny Addams	BEL	4-1	13	Q
3	298	Gytte Minton	GBR	3-2	–	Q
4	276	Irma de Antequeda	ARG	2-3	15
5	295	Louisette Malherbaud	FRA	2-3	17
6	280	Gabriele Zeilinger	AUT	0-5	–

Pool #2

Jury President	Julien Eggermont	BEL

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts
1	296	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR	5-0	Q
2	302	Ilona Elek	HUN	3-2	Q
3	278	Fritzi Filz	AUT	3-2	Q
4	293	Renée Garilhe	FRA	3-2
=5	304	Elena Libera	ITA	0-4
=5	290	Kate Mahaut	DEN	0-4

Pool #3

Jury President	Carlo Filogamo	ITA

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches
1	279	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	4-1	19-10	Q
2	301	Margit Elek	HUN	4-1	18-10	Q
3	305	Irene Camber-Corno	ITA	3-2	–-–	Q
4	291	Grethe Olsen	DEN	2-3	–-–
5	294	Françoise Gouny	FRA	1-4	–-18
6	315	Helena Dow	USA	1-4	–-19

Pool #4

Jury President	József Hátszeghy	HUN

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches Received
1	289	Karen Lachmann	DEN	4-1	7	Q
2	303	Éva Kun	HUN	4-1	12	Q
3	306	Velleda Cesari	ITA	3-2	–	Q
4	316	Jan York	USA	3-2	–
5	275	Elsa Irigoyen	ARG	1-4	–
6	312	Anita Klüpfel	SUI	0-5	–

Semi-Finals

Date	2 August 1948 — 09:00
Format	Top four finishers in each pool advanced to final.

Pool #1

Jury President	György Rozgonyi	HUN

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches Received
1	302	Ilona Elek	HUN	5-0	–	Q
2	289	Karen Lachmann	DEN	3-2	12	Q
3	296	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR	3-2	13	Q
4	278	Fritzi Filz	AUT	2-3	–	Q
5	305	Irene Camber-Corno	ITA	2-3	–
6	303	Éva Kun	HUN	0-5	–

Pool #2

Jury President	Carlo Filogamo	ITA

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches
1	279	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	4-1	–-–	Q
=2	314	Maria Cerra	USA	3-2	15-13	Q
=2	306	Velleda Cesari	ITA	3-2	15-13	Q
4	301	Margit Elek	HUN	3-2	–-14	Q
5	284	Jenny Addams	BEL	2-3	–-–
6	298	Gytte Minton	GBR	0-5	–-–

Final Pool

Date	2 August 1948 — 15:00
Jury President	Georges Heyvaert	BEL

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Bouts	Touches
1	302	Ilona Elek	HUN	6-1	27-15
2	289	Karen Lachmann	DEN	5-2	24-11
3	279	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	5-2	24-16
4	314	Maria Cerra	USA	5-2	23-16
5	278	Fritzi Filz	AUT	4-3	20-21
6	301	Margit Elek	HUN	1-6	16-26
7	306	Velleda Cesari	ITA	1-6	15-27
8	296	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR	1-6	10-27

Match	Date/Time	Competitor	NOC	Result	Competitor	NOC
Bout #1	02 Aug	Ilona Elek	HUN	4 – 2	Karen Lachmann	DEN
Bout #2	02 Aug	Ilona Elek	HUN	4 – 2	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT
Bout #3	02 Aug	Ilona Elek	HUN	4 – 2	Maria Cerra	USA
Bout #4	02 Aug	Ilona Elek	HUN	4 – 3	Margit Elek	HUN
Bout #5	02 Aug	Ilona Elek	HUN	4 – 2	Velleda Cesari	ITA
Bout #6	02 Aug	Ilona Elek	HUN	4 – 0	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR
Bout #7	02 Aug	Karen Lachmann	DEN	4 – 2	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT
Bout #8	02 Aug	Karen Lachmann	DEN	4 – 0	Fritzi Filz	AUT
Bout #9	02 Aug	Karen Lachmann	DEN	4 – 1	Margit Elek	HUN
Bout #10	02 Aug	Karen Lachmann	DEN	4 – 0	Velleda Cesari	ITA
Bout #11	02 Aug	Karen Lachmann	DEN	4 – 0	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR
Bout #12	02 Aug	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	4 – 1	Maria Cerra	USA
Bout #13	02 Aug	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	4 – 1	Fritzi Filz	AUT
Bout #14	02 Aug	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	4 – 2	Margit Elek	HUN
Bout #15	02 Aug	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	4 – 3	Velleda Cesari	ITA
Bout #16	02 Aug	Ellen Müller-Preis	AUT	4 – 1	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR
Bout #17	02 Aug	Maria Cerra	USA	4 – 2	Karen Lachmann	DEN
Bout #18	02 Aug	Maria Cerra	USA	4 – 3	Fritzi Filz	AUT
Bout #19	02 Aug	Maria Cerra	USA	4 – 0	Margit Elek	HUN
Bout #20	02 Aug	Maria Cerra	USA	4 – 2	Velleda Cesari	ITA
Bout #21	02 Aug	Maria Cerra	USA	4 – 1	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR
Bout #22	02 Aug	Fritzi Filz	AUT	4 – 3	Ilona Elek	HUN
Bout #23	02 Aug	Fritzi Filz	AUT	4 – 3	Margit Elek	HUN
Bout #24	02 Aug	Fritzi Filz	AUT	4 – 1	Velleda Cesari	ITA
Bout #25	02 Aug	Fritzi Filz	AUT	4 – 2	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR
Bout #26	02 Aug	Margit Elek	HUN	4 – 2	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR
Bout #27	02 Aug	Velleda Cesari	ITA	4 – 3	Margit Elek	HUN
Bout #28	02 Aug	Mary Glen-Haig	GBR	4 – 3	Velleda Cesari	ITA