# Fencing at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's foil

The men's foil was one of ten fencing events on the fencing at the 1996 Summer Olympics programme. It was the twenty-second appearance of the event. The competition was held on 22 July 1996. 45 fencers from 19 nations competed. Nations had been limited to three fencers each since 1928. The event was won by Alessandro Puccini of Italy, the nation's eighth victory in the men's foil (matching France for most all-time). France took the other two medals, with Lionel Plumenail earning silver and Franck Boidin winning the bronze medal match.

## Background

This was the 22nd appearance of the event, which has been held at every Summer Olympics except 1908 (when there was a foil display only rather than a medal event). Four of the eight quarterfinalists from 1992 returned: gold medalist Philippe Omnès of France, silver medalist Serhiy Holubytskiy of the Unified Team (now competing for Ukraine), bronze medalist Elvis Gregory of Cuba, and fifth-place finisher Joachim Wendt of Austria. The three world champions since the last Games were Alexander Koch of Germany, Rolando Tucker of Cuba, and Dmitriy Shevchenko of Russia; all were competing in Atlanta.
Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan each made their debut in the men's foil. France and the United States each made their 20th appearance, tied for most of any nation; France had missed only the 1904 (with fencers not traveling to St. Louis) and the 1912 (boycotted due to a dispute over rules) foil competitions, while the United States had missed the inaugural 1896 competition and boycotted the 1980 Games altogether.

## Competition format

The 1996 tournament vastly simplified the competition format after a horrendously complex system used in the previous Games in Barcelona. Pool play was eliminated. Double elimination was eliminated. The tournament became a simple single-elimination bracket, with a bronze medal match. Bouts were to 15 touches. Standard foil rules regarding target area, striking, and priority were used.

## Schedule

All times are Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Monday, 22 July 1996 | | Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Bronze medal match Final |

## Results
### Section 1

| Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | Rolando Tucker (CUB) | Rolando Tucker (CUB) | 15 | | | | | | |
| Wang Haibin (CHN) | Wang Haibin (CHN) | 15 | Wang Haibin (CHN) | Wang Haibin (CHN) | 11 | | | | | | |
| Peter Devine (USA) | Peter Devine (USA) | 12 | | | | Rolando Tucker (CUB) | Rolando Tucker (CUB) | 15 | | | |
| | | | | | | Zsolt Érsek (HUN) | Zsolt Érsek (HUN) | 4 | | | |
| | | | Márk Marsi (HUN) | Márk Marsi (HUN) | 10 | | | | | | |
| | | | Zsolt Érsek (HUN) | Zsolt Érsek (HUN) | 15 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Rolando Tucker (CUB) | Rolando Tucker (CUB) | 12 |
| | | | | | | | | | Wolfgang Wienand (GER) | Wolfgang Wienand (GER) | 15 |
| | | | Wolfgang Wienand (GER) | Wolfgang Wienand (GER) | 15 | | | | | | |
| Leandro Marchetti (ARG) | Leandro Marchetti (ARG) | 15 | Leandro Marchetti (ARG) | Leandro Marchetti (ARG) | 1 | | | | | | |
| Marco Falchetto (AUT) | Marco Falchetto (AUT) | 13 | | | | Wolfgang Wienand (GER) | Wolfgang Wienand (GER) | 15 | | | |
| Piotr Kiełpikowski (POL) | Piotr Kiełpikowski (POL) | 15 | | | | Piotr Kiełpikowski (POL) | Piotr Kiełpikowski (POL) | 11 | | | |
| Hiroki Ichigatani (JPN) | Hiroki Ichigatani (JPN) | 13 | Piotr Kiełpikowski (POL) | Piotr Kiełpikowski (POL) | 15 | | | | | | |
| | | | Stefano Cerioni (ITA) | Stefano Cerioni (ITA) | 7 | | | | | | |

### Section 2

| Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | 15 | | | | | | |
| Michael Ludwig (AUT) | Michael Ludwig (AUT) | 15 | Michael Ludwig (AUT) | Michael Ludwig (AUT) | 12 | | | | | | |
| Carlos Rodríguez (VEN) | Carlos Rodríguez (VEN) | 11 | | | | Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | 15 | | | |
| Vladislav Pavlovich (RUS) | Vladislav Pavlovich (RUS) | 15 | | | | Vladislav Pavlovich (RUS) | Vladislav Pavlovich (RUS) | 12 | | | |
| Alfredo Pérez (VEN) | Alfredo Pérez (VEN) | 2 | Vladislav Pavlovich (RUS) | Vladislav Pavlovich (RUS) | 15 | | | | | | |
| | | | José Francisco Guerra (ESP) | José Francisco Guerra (ESP) | 11 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | 15 |
| | | | | | | | | | Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR) | Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR) | 13 |
| | | | Alexander Koch (GER) | Alexander Koch (GER) | 13 | | | | | | |
| Ye Chong (CHN) | Ye Chong (CHN) | 15 | Ye Chong (CHN) | Ye Chong (CHN) | 15 | | | | | | |
| Rafkat Ruziyev (UZB) | Rafkat Ruziyev (UZB) | 4 | | | | Ye Chong (CHN) | Ye Chong (CHN) | 14 | | | |
| Kim Yong-Guk (KOR) | Kim Yong-Guk (KOR) | 15 | | | | Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR) | Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR) | 15 | | | |
| Róbert Kiss (HUN) | Róbert Kiss (HUN) | 11 | Kim Yong-Guk (KOR) | Kim Yong-Guk (KOR) | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR) | Serhiy Holubytskiy (UKR) | 15 | | | | | | |

### Section 3

| Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | Elvis Gregory (CUB) | Elvis Gregory (CUB) | 15 | | | | | | |
| Adam Krzesiński (POL) | Adam Krzesiński (POL) | 15 | Adam Krzesiński (POL) | Adam Krzesiński (POL) | 10 | | | | | | |
| Nick Bravin (USA) | Nick Bravin (USA) | 14 | | | | Elvis Gregory (CUB) | Elvis Gregory (CUB) | 14 | | | |
| | | | | | | Philippe Omnès (FRA) | Philippe Omnès (FRA) | 15 | | | |
| | | | Vyacheslav Grigoryev (KAZ) | Vyacheslav Grigoryev (KAZ) | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | Philippe Omnès (FRA) | Philippe Omnès (FRA) | 15 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Philippe Omnès (FRA) | Philippe Omnès (FRA) | 11 |
| | | | | | | | | | Franck Boidin (FRA) | Franck Boidin (FRA) | 15 |
| | | | Oscar García (CUB) | Oscar García (CUB) | 11 | | | | | | |
| Javier García (ESP) | Javier García (ESP) | 15 | Javier García (ESP) | Javier García (ESP) | 15 | | | | | | |
| Rafael Suárez (VEN) | Rafael Suárez (VEN) | 10 | | | | Javier García (ESP) | Javier García (ESP) | 12 | | | |
| Jeong Su-Gi (KOR) | Jeong Su-Gi (KOR) | 15 | | | | Franck Boidin (FRA) | Franck Boidin (FRA) | 15 | | | |
| Ilgar Mamedov (RUS) | Ilgar Mamedov (RUS) | 8 | Jeong Su-Gi (KOR) | Jeong Su-Gi (KOR) | 14 | | | | | | |
| | | | Franck Boidin (FRA) | Franck Boidin (FRA) | 15 | | | | | | |

### Section 4

| Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | 15 | | | | | | |
| Oleksiy Bryzhalov (UKR) | Oleksiy Bryzhalov (UKR) | 15 | Oleksiy Bryzhalov (UKR) | Oleksiy Bryzhalov (UKR) | 12 | | | | | | |
| Cliff Bayer (USA) | Cliff Bayer (USA) | 11 | | | | Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | 15 | | | |
| Ryszard Sobczak (POL) | Ryszard Sobczak (POL) | 15 | | | | Ryszard Sobczak (POL) | Ryszard Sobczak (POL) | 4 | | | |
| Abdul Muhsen Ali (KUW) | Abdul Muhsen Ali (KUW) | 7 | Ryszard Sobczak (POL) | Ryszard Sobczak (POL) | 15 | | | | | | |
| | | | Marco Arpino (ITA) | Marco Arpino (ITA) | 14 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | 15 |
| | | | | | | | | | Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR) | Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR) | 14 |
| | | | Uwe Römer (GER) | Uwe Römer (GER) | 15 | | | | | | |
| | | | Joachim Wendt (AUT) | Joachim Wendt (AUT) | 7 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Uwe Römer (GER) | Uwe Römer (GER) | 13 | | | |
| Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR) | Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR) | 15 | | | | Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR) | Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR) | 15 | | | |
| Dong Zhaozhi (CHN) | Dong Zhaozhi (CHN) | 12 | Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR) | Kim Yeong-Ho (KOR) | 15 | | | | | | |
| | | | Dmitry Shevchenko (RUS) | Dmitry Shevchenko (RUS) | 13 | | | | | | |

### Finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Wolfgang Wienand (GER) | 9 |
| Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | 15 | | |
| Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | 15 | Lionel Plumenail (FRA) | 12 |
| | | Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | 15 |
| Franck Boidin (FRA) | 13 | Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | 15 |
| Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | 15 | | |
| Alessandro Puccini (ITA) | 15 | Bronze medal match | Bronze medal match |
| | | Wolfgang Wienand (GER) | 11 |
| | | Franck Boidin (FRA) | 15 |

## Final classification

| Rank | Fencer | Nation |
| | Alessandro Puccini | Italy |
| | Lionel Plumenail | France |
| | Franck Boidin | France |
| 4 | Wolfgang Wienand | Germany |
| 5 | Rolando Tucker | Cuba |
| 6 | Serhiy Holubytskiy | Ukraine |
| 7 | Philippe Omnès | France |
| 8 | Kim Yeong-Ho | South Korea |
| 9 | Elvis Gregory | Cuba |
| 10 | Zsolt Érsek | Hungary |
| 11 | Uwe Römer | Germany |
| 12 | Ye Chong | China |
| 13 | Javier García | Spain |
| 14 | Vladislav Pavlovich | Russia |
| 15 | Ryszard Sobczak | Poland |
| 16 | Piotr Kiełpikowski | Poland |
| 17 | Dmitry Shevchenko | Russia |
| 18 | Stefano Cerioni | Italy |
| 19 | Marco Arpino | Italy |
| 20 | Oscar García | Cuba |
| 21 | José Francisco Guerra | Spain |
| 22 | Alexander Koch | Germany |
| 23 | Joachim Wendt | Austria |
| 24 | Márk Marsi | Hungary |
| 25 | Vyacheslav Grigoryev | Kazakhstan |
| 26 | Michael Ludwig | Austria |
| 27 | Adam Krzesiński | Poland |
| 28 | Wang Haibin | China |
| 29 | Kim Yong-Guk | South Korea |
| 30 | Jeong Su-Gi | South Korea |
| 31 | Oleksiy Bryzhalov | Ukraine |
| 32 | Leandro Marchetti | Argentina |
| 33 | Marco Falchetto | Austria |
| 34 | Cliff Bayer | United States |
| 35 | Ilgar Mamedov | Russia |
| 36 | Róbert Kiss | Hungary |
| 37 | Peter Devine | United States |
| 38 | Dong Zhaozhi | China |
| 39 | Nick Bravin | United States |
| 40 | Carlos Rodríguez | Venezuela |
| 41 | Hiroki Ichigatani | Japan |
| 42 | Abdul Muhsen Ali | Kuwait |
| 43 | Rafael Suárez | Venezuela |
| 44 | Rafkat Ruziyev | Uzbekistan |
| 45 | Alfredo Pérez | Venezuela |