| | 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-Schacherer 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