# Fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's épée

The men's épée was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the sixteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from 4 to 6 September 1972. 71 fencers from 28 nations competed. Each nation was limited to three fencers. The event was won by Csaba Fenyvesi of Hungary, the nation's second consecutive victory in the event. His countryman Győző Kulcsár, the 1968 gold medalist, earned bronze this time to become the ninth man to win multiple medals in the men's individual épée. Silver went to Jacques Ladègaillerie of France; the French épéeists, a power in the event from 1900 to 1932, earned their first individual medal in 40 years. The three-Games podium streak of the Soviet Union was snapped, with all three Soviet fencers reaching the semifinals but eliminated there.

## Background

This was the 16th appearance of the event, which was not held at the first Games in 1896 (with only foil and sabre events held) but has been held at every Summer Olympics since 1900.
Three of the six finalists (the three medalists) from the 1968 Games returned: gold medalist Győző Kulcsár of Hungary, silver medalist (and 1964 gold medalist) Grigory Kriss of the Soviet Union, and bronze medalist (and 1964 fourth-place finisher) Gianluigi Saccaro of Italy. Kriss was the reigning (1971) World Champion.
Hong Kong and Turkey each made their debut in the event. The United States appeared for the 15th time, most among nations, having missed only the 1908 edition of the event.

## Competition format

The 1972 tournament returned to the traditional format of entirely pool-play rounds, after two Games of mixed pool-play and knockout rounds in 1964 and 1968. Five rounds were held. Bouts were to 5 touches, with double-losses possible. No barrages were held; touch quotient (touches for divided by touches against) was used to break ties.
* Round 1: 12 pools, with 6 fencers in each pool. The top 4 fencers in each pool advanced, cutting the field from 72 to 48.
* Round 2: 8 pools, with 6 fencers per pool. The top 3 fencers advanced, reducing the number of remaining fencers from 48 to 24.
* Quarterfinals: 4 pools, with 6 fencers per pool. The top 3 fencers advanced, cutting 24 quarterfinalists to 12 semifinalists.
* Semifinals: 2 pools, with 6 fencers each. The top 3 fencers advanced, resulting in 6 finalists.
* Final round: A final pool with the 6 remaining fencers determined the medals and 4th through 6th place.

## Schedule

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Monday, 4 September 1972 | 8:00 | Round 1 Round 2 Quarterfinals |
| Thursday, 30 August 1972 | 15:30 19:30 | Semifinals Final |

## Results
### Round 1
#### Round 1 Pool A

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | GK | RB | DG | PAF | JBH | CM |
| 1 | Grigory Kriss (URS) | 4 | 1 | 25 | 10 | Q | | 5–3 | 5–5 | 5–2 | 5–0 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Reinhold Behr (FRG) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 13 | Q | 3–5 | | 5–0 | 5–1 | 5–5 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Daniel Giger (SUI) | 2 | 3 | 17 | 15 | Q | 5–5 | 0–5 | | 2–5 | 5–0 | 5–0 |
| 4 | Peter Askjær-Friis (DEN) | 2 | 3 | 17 | 19 | Q | 2–5 | 1–5 | 5–2 | | 4–5 | 5–2 |
| 5 | John Bouchier-Hayes (IRL) | 2 | 3 | 15 | 22 | | 0–5 | 5–5 | 0–5 | 5–4 | | 5–3 |
| 6 | Chan Matthew (HKG) | 0 | 5 | 7 | 25 | | 0–5 | 2–5 | 0–5 | 2–5 | 3–5 | |

#### Round 1 Pool B

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | HJH | NG | LS | BG | LW | AC |
| 1 | Hans-Jürgen Hehn (FRG) | 4 | 1 | 24 | 12 | Q | | 5–1 | 4–5 | 5–1 | 5–3 | 5–1 |
| 2 | Nicola Granieri (ITA) | 4 | 1 | 21 | 18 | Q | 1–5 | | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–3 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Luis Stephens (MEX) | 3 | 2 | 22 | 22 | Q | 5–4 | 4–5 | | 5–4 | 3–5 | 5–4 |
| 4 | Bogdan Gonsior (POL) | 2 | 3 | 20 | 18 | Q | 2–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | | 5–2 | 5–1 |
| 5 | Lester Wong (CAN) | 1 | 4 | 16 | 23 | | 3–5 | 3–5 | 5–3 | 2–5 | | 3–5 |
| 6 | Ali Chekr (LIB) | 1 | 4 | 13 | 23 | | 1–5 | 2–5 | 4–5 | 1–5 | 5–3 | |

#### Round 1 Pool C

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | RE | CF | RM | RH | CK | AT |
| 1 | Rolf Edling (SWE) | 5 | 0 | 25 | 13 | Q | | 5–2 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–1 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Claudio Francesconi (ITA) | 2 | 3 | 18 | 17 | Q | 2–5 | | 5–5 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 1–5 |
| 3 | Reinhard Münster (DEN) | 2 | 3 | 23 | 24 | Q | 4–5 | 5–5 | | 5–5 | 4–5 | 5–4 |
| 4 | Risto Hurme (FIN) | 2 | 3 | 20 | 23 | Q | 4–5 | 1–5 | 5–5 | | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Christian Kauter (SUI) | 2 | 3 | 16 | 21 | | 1–5 | 1–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | | 5–2 |
| 6 | Ali Tayla (TUR) | 1 | 4 | 17 | 21 | | 2–5 | 5–1 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 2–5 | |

#### Round 1 Pool D

Maier was unable to complete his first bout, collapsing during the competition. He "was rushed to the hospital but was rendered quadriplegic from uncertain causes, although a blood clot on the brain was suspected." The bout was not counted in the official results, with the remaining fencers in the pool competing as if the pool had only 5 members.
| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | JL | RS | RL | OV | GS |
| 1 | Jacques Ladègaillerie (FRA) | 3 | 1 | 18 | 11 | Q | | 3–5 | 5–4 | 5–1 | 5–1 |
| 2 | Robert Schiel (LUX) | 2 | 2 | 18 | 15 | Q | 5–3 | | 4–5 | 4–5 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Roberto Levis (PUR) | 2 | 2 | 18 | 17 | Q | 4–5 | 5–4 | | 4–5 | 5–3 |
| 4 | Omar Vergara (ARG) | 2 | 2 | 12 | 18 | Q | 1–5 | 5–4 | 5–4 | | 1–5 |
| 5 | Gianluigi Saccaro (ITA) | 1 | 3 | 11 | 16 | | 1–5 | 2–5 | 3–5 | 5–1 | |
| 6 | Rudi Maier (FRG) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | |

#### Round 1 Pool E

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | SP | BU | RT | GM | AAP | RM |
| 1 | Sergey Paramonov (URS) | 5 | 0 | 25 | 14 | Q | | 5–3 | 5–2 | 5–4 | 5–3 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Bernd Uhlig (GDR) | 4 | 1 | 23 | 14 | Q | 3–5 | | 5–4 | 5–1 | 5–3 | 5–1 |
| 3 | Rudolf Trost (AUT) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 20 | Q | 2–5 | 4–5 | | 5–4 | 5–3 | 5–3 |
| 4 | George Masin (USA) | 1 | 4 | 17 | 24 | Q | 4–5 | 1–5 | 4–5 | | 3–5 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Ali Asghar Pashapour (IRI) | 1 | 4 | 16 | 23 | | 3–5 | 3–5 | 3–5 | 5–3 | | 2–5 |
| 6 | Remo Manelli (LUX) | 1 | 4 | 15 | 22 | | 2–5 | 1–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 5–2 | |

#### Round 1 Pool F

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | MvK | RL | TB | AI | GS | AS |
| 1 | Morten von Krogh (NOR) | 4 | 1 | 25 | 13 | Q | | 5–1 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 5–3 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Roland Losert (AUT) | 3 | 2 | 18 | 14 | Q | 1–5 | | 2–5 | 5–2 | 5–1 | 5–1 |
| 3 | Teddy Bourne (GBR) | 2 | 3 | 20 | 18 | Q | 5–5 | 5–2 | | 2–5 | 5–1 | 3–5 |
| 4 | Alexandru Istrate (ROU) | 2 | 3 | 17 | 18 | Q | 4–5 | 2–5 | 5–2 | | 1–5 | 5–1 |
| 5 | Guillermo Saucedo (ARG) | 2 | 3 | 15 | 17 | | 3–5 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 5–1 | | 5–1 |
| 6 | Ali Sleiman (LIB) | 1 | 4 | 8 | 23 | | 0–5 | 1–5 | 5–3 | 1–5 | 1–5 | |

#### Round 1 Pool G

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | HM | FJ | CB | DF | JN | YDD |
| 1 | Horst Melzig (GDR) | 4 | 1 | 23 | 11 | Q | | 5–1 | 3–5 | 5–2 | 5–3 | 5–0 |
| 2 | François Jeanne (FRA) | 4 | 1 | 21 | 11 | Q | 1–5 | | 5–1 | 5–4 | 5–0 | 5–1 |
| 3 | Costică Bărăgan (ROU) | 4 | 1 | 21 | 18 | Q | 5–3 | 1–5 | | 5–3 | 5–4 | 5–3 |
| 4 | Daniel Feraud (ARG) | 2 | 3 | 19 | 20 | Q | 2–5 | 4–5 | 3–5 | | 5–4 | 5–1 |
| 5 | Jeppe Normann (NOR) | 1 | 4 | 16 | 24 | | 3–5 | 0–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | | 5–4 |
| 6 | Yves Daniel Darricau (LIB) | 0 | 5 | 9 | 23 | | 0–5 | 1–5 | 3–5 | 1–5 | 4–5 | |

#### Round 1 Pool H

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | IV | JB | JJ | OM | RE | RM |
| 1 | Igor Valetov (URS) | 4 | 1 | 23 | 11 | Q | | 3–5 | 5–3 | 5–2 | 5–1 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Jacques Brodin (FRA) | 4 | 1 | 25 | 14 | Q | 5–3 | | 5–5 | 5–5 | 5–0 | 5–1 |
| 3 | Jerzy Janikowski (POL) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 18 | Q | 3–5 | 5–5 | | 5–4 | 5–0 | 5–4 |
| 4 | Ole Mørch (NOR) | 2 | 3 | 21 | 15 | Q | 2–5 | 5–5 | 4–5 | | 5–0 | 5–0 |
| 5 | Robert Elliott (HKG) | 0 | 5 | 6 | 25 | | 1–5 | 0–5 | 0–5 | 0–5 | | 5–5 |
| 6 | Roberto Maldonado (PUR) | 0 | 5 | 10 | 25 | | 0–5 | 1–5 | 4–5 | 0–5 | 5–5 | |

#### Round 1 Pool I

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | GP | PD | HN | JCS | JM | AA |
| 1 | Graham Paul (GBR) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 21 | Q | | 5–4 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 5–3 |
| 2 | Panagiotis Dourakos (GRE) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 21 | Q | 4–5 | | 4–5 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 5–5 |
| 3 | Henryk Nielaba (POL) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 22 | Q | 5–4 | 5–4 | | 5–4 | 3–5 | 3–5 |
| 4 | Jean-Charles Seneca (MON) | 2 | 3 | 22 | 23 | Q | 4–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 5 | James Melcher (USA) | 2 | 3 | 21 | 22 | | 5–4 | 2–5 | 5–3 | 4–5 | | 5–5 |
| 6 | Alain Anen (LUX) | 1 | 4 | 22 | 23 | | 3–5 | 5–5 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 5–5 | |

#### Round 1 Pool J

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | GK | GW | PL | SN | IK | AV |
| 1 | Győző Kulcsár (HUN) | 4 | 1 | 23 | 18 | Q | | 5–3 | 3–5 | 5–2 | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 2 | Gerry Wiedel (CAN) | 3 | 2 | 22 | 18 | Q | 3–5 | | 5–3 | 4–5 | 5–3 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Peter Lötscher (SUI) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 21 | Q | 5–3 | 3–5 | | 5–4 | 5–5 | 5–4 |
| 4 | Stephen Netburn (USA) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 21 | Q | 2–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | | 5–3 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Ivan Kemnitz (DEN) | 2 | 3 | 20 | 20 | | 4–5 | 3–5 | 5–5 | 3–5 | | 5–0 |
| 6 | Andreas Vgenopoulos (GRE) | 0 | 5 | 14 | 25 | | 4–5 | 2–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 0–5 | |

#### Round 1 Pool K

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | PS | KHM | AP | OJ | CC | HO |
| 1 | Pál Schmitt (HUN) | 4 | 1 | 22 | 10 | Q | | 5–3 | 5–0 | 2–5 | 5–2 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Karl-Heinz Müller (AUT) | 3 | 2 | 20 | 18 | Q | 3–5 | | 2–5 | 5–4 | 5–3 | 5–1 |
| 3 | Anton Pongratz (ROU) | 3 | 2 | 19 | 18 | Q | 0–5 | 5–2 | | 5–3 | 4–5 | 5–3 |
| 4 | Orvar Jönsson (SWE) | 2 | 3 | 19 | 20 | Q | 5–2 | 4–5 | 3–5 | | 5–3 | 2–5 |
| 5 | Carlos Calderón (MEX) | 2 | 3 | 18 | 23 | | 2–5 | 3–5 | 5–4 | 3–5 | | 5–4 |
| 6 | Herbert Obst (CAN) | 1 | 4 | 13 | 22 | | 0–5 | 1–5 | 3–5 | 5–2 | 4–5 | |

#### Round 1 Pool L

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | HPS | CF | RJ | JC | CvE | PA |
| 1 | Hans-Peter Schulze (GDR) | 4 | 1 | 22 | 10 | Q | | 2–5 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Csaba Fenyvesi (HUN) | 3 | 2 | 20 | 18 | Q | 5–2 | | 5–1 | 4–5 | 5–2 | 2–5 |
| 3 | Ralph Johnson (GBR) | 3 | 2 | 19 | 18 | Q | 3–5 | 1–5 | | 5–4 | 5–3 | 5–4 |
| 4 | Jorge Castillejos (MEX) | 2 | 3 | 19 | 20 | Q | 4–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | | 4–5 | 5–2 |
| 5 | Carl von Essen (SWE) | 2 | 3 | 18 | 23 | | 4–5 | 2–5 | 3–5 | 5–4 | | 5–3 |
| 6 | Pirouz Adamiat (IRI) | 1 | 4 | 13 | 22 | | 2–5 | 5–2 | 4–5 | 2–5 | 3–5 | |

### Round 2
#### Round 2 Pool A

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | RE | JL | RS | GM | RB | RL |
| 1 | Rolf Edling (SWE) | 4 | 1 | 23 | 12 | Q | | 3–5 | 5–2 | 5–1 | 5–2 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Jacques Ladègaillerie (FRA) | 4 | 1 | 23 | 17 | Q | 5–3 | | 5–4 | 3–5 | 5–3 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Robert Schiel (LUX) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 20 | Q | 2–5 | 4–5 | | 5–3 | 5–4 | 5–3 |
| 4 | George Masin (USA) | 2 | 3 | 16 | 22 | | 1–5 | 5–3 | 3–5 | | 2–5 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Reinhold Behr (FRG) | 1 | 3 | 14 | 17 | | 2–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 5–2 | | |
| 6 | Roberto Levis (PUR) | 0 | 4 | 11 | 20 | | 2–5 | 2–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | | |

#### Round 2 Pool B

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | RH | CF | SP | OV | CB | RJ |
| 1 | Risto Hurme (FIN) | 3 | 2 | 25 | 15 | Q | | 5–5 | 5–5 | 5–1 | 5–4 | 5–0 |
| 2 | Csaba Fenyvesi (HUN) | 3 | 2 | 24 | 18 | Q | 5–5 | | 5–1 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 5–3 |
| 3 | Sergey Paramonov (URS) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 16 | Q | 5–5 | 1–5 | | 5–1 | 5–1 | 5–4 |
| 4 | Omar Vergara (ARG) | 3 | 2 | 17 | 20 | | 1–5 | 5–4 | 1–5 | | 5–2 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Costică Bărăgan (ROU) | 1 | 4 | 16 | 22 | | 4–5 | 4–5 | 1–5 | 2–5 | | 5–2 |
| 6 | Ralph Johnson (GBR) | 0 | 5 | 13 | 25 | | 0–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 2–5 | |

#### Round 2 Pool C

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | HN | GK | NG | OM | RL | PAF |
| 1 | Henryk Nielaba (POL) | 5 | 0 | 25 | 18 | Q | | 5–3 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 2 | Grigory Kriss (URS) | 2 | 3 | 23 | 20 | Q | 3–5 | | 5–5 | 5–2 | 5–5 | 5–3 |
| 3 | Nicola Granieri (ITA) | 2 | 3 | 20 | 20 | Q | 3–5 | 5–5 | | 5–2 | 5–3 | 2–5 |
| 4 | Ole Mørch (NOR) | 2 | 3 | 18 | 24 | | 4–5 | 2–5 | 2–5 | | 5–4 | 5–5 |
| 5 | Roland Losert (AUT) | 1 | 4 | 21 | 22 | | 4–5 | 5–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | | 5–2 |
| 6 | Peter Askjær-Friis (DEN) | 1 | 4 | 19 | 22 | | 4–5 | 3–5 | 5–2 | 5–5 | 2–5 | |

#### Round 2 Pool D

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | PS | JJ | DG | AI | SN | HPS |
| 1 | Pál Schmitt (HUN) | 4 | 1 | 24 | 16 | Q | | 4–5 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–1 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Jerzy Janikowski (POL) | 4 | 1 | 22 | 20 | Q | 5–4 | | 5–4 | 2–5 | 5–4 | 5–3 |
| 3 | Daniel Giger (SUI) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 18 | Q | 4–5 | 4–5 | | 5–3 | 5–1 | 5–4 |
| 4 | Alexandru Istrate (ROU) | 2 | 3 | 19 | 18 | | 4–5 | 5–2 | 3–5 | | 2–5 | 5–1 |
| 5 | Stephen Netburn (USA) | 2 | 3 | 16 | 21 | | 1–5 | 4–5 | 1–5 | 5–2 | | 5–4 |
| 6 | Hans-Peter Schulze (GDR) | 0 | 5 | 14 | 25 | | 2–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 1–5 | 4–5 | |

#### Round 2 Pool E

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | IV | BU | RT | TB | GW | DF |
| 1 | Igor Valetov (URS) | 4 | 1 | 23 | 13 | Q | | 3–5 | 5–0 | 5–3 | 5–3 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Bernd Uhlig (GDR) | 4 | 1 | 22 | 14 | Q | 5–3 | | 2–5 | 5–3 | 5–1 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Rudolf Trost (AUT) | 4 | 1 | 20 | 18 | Q | 0–5 | 5–2 | | 5–3 | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 4 | Teddy Bourne (GBR) | 2 | 3 | 19 | 17 | | 3–5 | 3–5 | 3–5 | | 5–0 | 5–2 |
| 5 | Gerry Wiedel (CAN) | 1 | 4 | 13 | 23 | | 3–5 | 1–5 | 4–5 | 0–5 | | 5–3 |
| 6 | Daniel Feraud (ARG) | 0 | 5 | 13 | 25 | | 2–5 | 2–5 | 4–5 | 2–5 | 3–5 | |

#### Round 2 Pool F

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | GK | BG | HM | KHM | OJ | LS |
| 1 | Győző Kulcsár (HUN) | 4 | 1 | 21 | 13 | Q | | 5–2 | 1–5 | 5–2 | 5–2 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Bogdan Gonsior (POL) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 16 | Q | 2–5 | | 4–5 | 5–3 | 5–1 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Horst Melzig (GDR) | 3 | 2 | 22 | 19 | Q | 5–1 | 5–4 | | 2–5 | 5–4 | 5–5 |
| 4 | Karl-Heinz Müller (AUT) | 3 | 2 | 20 | 18 | | 2–5 | 3–5 | 5–2 | | 5–4 | 5–2 |
| 5 | Orvar Jönsson (SWE) | 1 | 4 | 16 | 22 | | 2–5 | 1–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | | 5–2 |
| 6 | Luis Stephens (MEX) | 1 | 4 | 13 | 25 | | 2–5 | 2–5 | 5–5 | 2–5 | 2–5 | |

#### Round 2 Pool G

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | JB | HJH | AP | JCS | CF | GP |
| 1 | Jacques Brodin (FRA) | 5 | 0 | 25 | 13 | Q | | 5–3 | 5–2 | 5–5 | 5–1 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Hans-Jürgen Hehn (FRG) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 18 | Q | 3–5 | | 5–3 | 3–5 | 5–3 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Anton Pongratz (ROU) | 2 | 3 | 18 | 18 | Q | 2–5 | 3–5 | | 5–1 | 3–5 | 5–2 |
| 4 | Jean-Charles Seneca (MON) | 2 | 3 | 21 | 23 | | 5–5 | 5–3 | 1–5 | | 5–5 | 5–5 |
| 5 | Claudio Francesconi (ITA) | 2 | 3 | 17 | 23 | | 1–5 | 3–5 | 5–3 | 5–5 | | 3–5 |
| 6 | Graham Paul (GBR) | 1 | 4 | 16 | 23 | | 2–5 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 5–5 | 5–3 | |

#### Round 2 Pool H

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | PL | FJ | MvK | RM | PD | JC |
| 1 | Peter Lötscher (SUI) | 4 | 1 | 24 | 14 | Q | | 4–5 | 5–2 | 5–0 | 5–4 | 5–3 |
| 2 | François Jeanne (FRA) | 4 | 1 | 20 | 16 | Q | 5–4 | | 0–5 | 5–1 | 5–3 | 5–3 |
| 3 | Morten von Krogh (NOR) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 16 | Q | 2–5 | 5–0 | | 4–5 | 5–4 | 5–2 |
| 4 | Reinhard Münster (DEN) | 2 | 3 | 14 | 20 | | 0–5 | 1–5 | 5–4 | | 3–5 | 5–1 |
| 5 | Panagiotis Dourakos (GRE) | 1 | 4 | 19 | 23 | | 4–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 5–3 | | 3–5 |
| 6 | Jorge Castillejos (MEX) | 1 | 4 | 14 | 23 | | 3–5 | 3–5 | 2–5 | 1–5 | 5–3 | |

### Quarterfinals
#### Quarterfinal A

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | AP | SP | JB | BG | RT | PS |
| 1 | Anton Pongratz (ROU) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 18 | Q | | 5–3 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 5–3 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Sergey Paramonov (URS) | 3 | 2 | 22 | 18 | Q | 3–5 | | 5–2 | 5–2 | 5–4 | 4–5 |
| 3 | Jacques Brodin (FRA) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 20 | Q | 5–4 | 2–5 | | 5–4 | 4–5 | 5–2 |
| 4 | Bogdan Gonsior (POL) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 21 | | 5–4 | 2–5 | 4–5 | | 5–3 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Rudolf Trost (AUT) | 2 | 3 | 20 | 22 | | 3–5 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 3–5 | | 5–3 |
| 6 | Pál Schmitt (HUN) | 1 | 4 | 16 | 24 | | 2–5 | 5–4 | 2–5 | 4–5 | 3–5 | |

#### Quarterfinal B

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | CF | DG | JL | HN | BU | NG |
| 1 | Csaba Fenyvesi (HUN) | 4 | 1 | 24 | 18 | Q | | 5–3 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 5–3 | 5–3 |
| 2 | Daniel Giger (SUI) | 3 | 2 | 21 | 15 | Q | 3–5 | | 3–5 | 5–2 | 5–3 | 5–0 |
| 3 | Jacques Ladègaillerie (FRA) | 3 | 2 | 22 | 16 | Q | 4–5 | 5–3 | | 5–2 | 3–5 | 5–1 |
| 4 | Henryk Nielaba (POL) | 3 | 2 | 19 | 22 | | 5–4 | 2–5 | 2–5 | | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Bernd Uhlig (GDR) | 2 | 3 | 20 | 21 | | 3–5 | 3–5 | 5–3 | 4–5 | | 5–3 |
| 6 | Nicola Granieri (ITA) | 0 | 5 | 11 | 25 | | 3–5 | 0–5 | 1–5 | 4–5 | 3–5 | |

#### Quarterfinal C

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | GKr | RE | GKu | FJ | HJH | MvK |
| 1 | Grigory Kriss (URS) | 4 | 1 | 24 | 16 | Q | | 5–2 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 5–1 | 5–4 |
| 2 | Rolf Edling (SWE) | 4 | 1 | 22 | 19 | Q | 2–5 | | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Győző Kulcsár (HUN) | 3 | 2 | 20 | 21 | Q | 5–4 | 4–5 | | 1–5 | 5–3 | 5–4 |
| 4 | François Jeanne (FRA) | 2 | 3 | 22 | 19 | | 4–5 | 4–5 | 5–1 | | 4–5 | 5–3 |
| 5 | Hans-Jürgen Hehn (FRG) | 2 | 3 | 18 | 23 | | 1–5 | 4–5 | 3–5 | 5–4 | | 5–4 |
| 6 | Morten von Krogh (NOR) | 0 | 5 | 17 | 25 | | 4–5 | 2–5 | 4–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | |

#### Quarterfinal D

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | HM | JJ | IV | RS | PL | RH |
| 1 | Horst Melzig (GDR) | 4 | 1 | 23 | 15 | Q | | 5–2 | 5–3 | 5–2 | 3–5 | 5–3 |
| 2 | Jerzy Janikowski (POL) | 3 | 2 | 22 | 21 | Q | 2–5 | | 5–5 | 5–3 | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 3 | Igor Valetov (URS) | 2 | 3 | 23 | 19 | Q | 3–5 | 5–5 | | 5–1 | 5–5 | 5–3 |
| 4 | Robert Schiel (LUX) | 2 | 3 | 16 | 23 | | 2–5 | 3–5 | 1–5 | | 5–4 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Peter Lötscher (SUI) | 1 | 4 | 22 | 23 | | 5–3 | 4–5 | 5–5 | 4–5 | | 4–5 |
| 6 | Risto Hurme (FIN) | 1 | 4 | 19 | 24 | | 3–5 | 4–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 5–4 | |

### Semifinals
#### Semifinal A

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | GK | RE | JB | HM | DG | SP |
| 1 | Győző Kulcsár (HUN) | 4 | 1 | 20 | 17 | Q | | 0–5 | 5–3 | 5–3 | 5–2 | 5–4 |
| 2 | Rolf Edling (SWE) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 16 | Q | 5–0 | | 3–5 | 5–4 | 5–5 | 5–2 |
| 3 | Jacques Brodin (FRA) | 2 | 3 | 22 | 22 | Q | 3–5 | 5–3 | | 5–4 | 4–5 | 5–5 |
| 4 | Horst Melzig (GDR) | 2 | 3 | 21 | 22 | | 3–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | | 5–4 | 5–3 |
| 5 | Daniel Giger (SUI) | 1 | 4 | 21 | 24 | | 2–5 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | | 5–5 |
| 6 | Sergey Paramonov (URS) | 0 | 5 | 19 | 25 | | 4–5 | 2–5 | 5–5 | 3–5 | 5–5 | |

#### Semifinal B

| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | Notes | AP | JL | CF | JJ | IV | GK |
| 1 | Anton Pongratz (ROU) | 4 | 1 | 21 | 17 | Q | | 5–4 | 5–2 | 5–4 | 1–5 | 5–2 |
| 2 | Jacques Ladègaillerie (FRA) | 3 | 2 | 24 | 18 | Q | 4–5 | | 5–3 | 5–3 | 5–3 | 5–5 |
| 3 | Csaba Fenyvesi (HUN) | 3 | 2 | 20 | 19 | Q | 2–5 | 3–5 | | 5–3 | 5–3 | 5–3 |
| 4 | Jerzy Janikowski (POL) | 2 | 3 | 19 | 22 | | 4–5 | 2–5 | 3–5 | | 5–4 | 5–3 |
| 5 | Igor Valetov (URS) | 1 | 4 | 19 | 21 | | 5–1 | 3–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | | 4–5 |
| 6 | Grigory Kriss (URS) | 1 | 4 | 18 | 24 | | 2–5 | 5–5 | 3–5 | 3–5 | 5–4 | |

### Final

Ladègaillerie had a touch-quotient of 1.211, Kulcsár had 1.053, and Pongratz had 0.950.
| Pos | Fencer | W | L | TF | TA | CF | JL | GK | AP | RE | JB |
| | Csaba Fenyvesi (HUN) | 4 | 1 | 25 | 10 | | 5–5 | 5–2 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 |
| | Jacques Ladègaillerie (FRA) | 3 | 2 | 23 | 19 | 5–5 | | 5–3 | 3–5 | 5–3 | 5–3 |
| | Győző Kulcsár (HUN) | 3 | 2 | 20 | 19 | 2–5 | 3–5 | | 5–3 | 5–3 | 5–3 |
| 4 | Anton Pongratz (ROU) | 3 | 2 | 19 | 20 | 1–5 | 5–3 | 3–5 | | 5–3 | 5–4 |
| 5 | Rolf Edling (SWE) | 1 | 4 | 15 | 22 | 1–5 | 3–5 | 3–5 | 3–5 | | 5–2 |
| 6 | Jacques Brodin (FRA) | 0 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 1–5 | 3–5 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 2–5 | |

## Final classification

| Rank | Fencer | Nation |
| | Csaba Fenyvesi | Hungary |
| | Jacques Ladègaillerie | France |
| | Győző Kulcsár | Hungary |
| 4 | Anton Pongratz | Romania |
| 5 | Rolf Edling | Sweden |
| 6 | Jacques Brodin | France |
| 7 | Horst Melzig | East Germany |
| 7 | Jerzy Janikowski | Poland |
| 9 | Daniel Giger | Switzerland |
| 9 | Igor Valetov | Soviet Union |
| 11 | Sergey Paramonov | Soviet Union |
| 11 | Grigory Kriss | Soviet Union |
| 13 | Bogdan Gonsior | Poland |
| 13 | Henryk Nielaba | Poland |
| 13 | François Jeanne | France |
| 13 | Robert Schiel | Luxembourg |
| 17 | Rudolf Trost | Austria |
| 17 | Bernd Uhlig | East Germany |
| 17 | Hans-Jürgen Hehn | West Germany |
| 17 | Peter Lötscher | Switzerland |
| 21 | Pál Schmitt | Hungary |
| 21 | Nicola Granieri | Italy |
| 21 | Morten von Krogh | Norway |
| 21 | Risto Hurme | Finland |
| 25 | George Masin | United States |
| 25 | Omar Vergara | Argentina |
| 25 | Ole Mørch | Norway |
| 25 | Alexandru Istrate | Romania |
| 25 | Teddy Bourne | Great Britain |
| 25 | Karl-Heinz Müller | Austria |
| 25 | Jean-Charles Seneca | Monaco |
| 25 | Reinhard Münster | Denmark |
| 33 | Reinhold Behr | West Germany |
| 33 | Costică Bărăgan | Romania |
| 33 | Roland Losert | Austria |
| 33 | Stephen Netburn | United States |
| 33 | Gerry Wiedel | Canada |
| 33 | Orvar Jönsson | Sweden |
| 33 | Claudio Francesconi | Italy |
| 33 | Panagiotis Dourakos | Greece |
| 41 | Roberto Levis | Puerto Rico |
| 41 | Ralph Johnson | Great Britain |
| 41 | Peter Askjær-Friis | Denmark |
| 41 | Hans-Peter Schulze | East Germany |
| 41 | Daniel Feraud | Argentina |
| 41 | Luis Stephens | Mexico |
| 41 | Graham Paul | Great Britain |
| 41 | Jorge Castillejos | Mexico |
| 49 | John Bouchier-Hayes | Ireland |
| 49 | Lester Wong | Canada |
| 49 | Christian Kauter | Switzerland |
| 49 | Gianluigi Saccaro | Italy |
| 49 | Ali Asghar Pashapour | Iran |
| 49 | Guillermo Saucedo | Argentina |
| 49 | Jeppe Normann | Norway |
| 49 | Robert Elliott | Hong Kong |
| 49 | James Melcher | United States |
| 49 | Ivan Kemnitz | Denmark |
| 49 | Carlos Calderón | Mexico |
| 49 | Carl von Essen | Sweden |
| 61 | Chan Matthew | Hong Kong |
| 61 | Ali Chekr | Lebanon |
| 61 | Ali Tayla | Turkey |
| 61 | Remo Manelli | Luxembourg |
| 61 | Ali Sleiman | Lebanon |
| 61 | Yves Daniel Darricau | Lebanon |
| 61 | Roberto Maldonado | Puerto Rico |
| 61 | Alain Anen | Luxembourg |
| 61 | Andreas Vgenopoulos | Greece |
| 61 | Herbert Obst | Canada |
| 61 | Pirouz Adamiat | Iran |
| 61 | Rudi Maier | West Germany |