OLYMPIC HISTORY

France dominated fencing from the outset of the sport at the first Games in 1896, with Italy taking charge in the 1930s before Hungary made itself the nation to beat for half a century. Indeed, the Hungarians won all seven titles in the sabre team event between 1928 and 1960. Aladar Gerevich was a member of the team in all but one of those victories and his success at the age of 50 in Rome, in 1960, brought him a record which still stands: he is the Olympian with the most consecutive victories.

One of the most famous early fencer was Nedo Nadi, from Italy. As an 18-year-old he won his first title in the foil in Stockholm, in 1912, when he also finished fifth in the sabre. War intervened but Nadi emerged from it a stronger fencer; at Antwerp in 1920, he won five of the six available gold medals, three of those with his team-mates. His victory in the sabre left his brother Aldo nursing the silver medal.

Women joined the Games in 1924, with the foil, while the women's épée was only added in 1996.

In a sport riddled with great tales, one of the most poignant was that of Helen Meyer. A German of Jewish descent who lived in the US, Meyer was called back to Berlin in 1936 for Olympic duty, Hitler keen to use her in his propaganda and keen to tell the tale of how she had two "Aryan" grandparents. Meyer finished second in the foil and delighted Adolf and his chums by raising her right arm in a "Heil Hitler" salute. However, the Nazis were less impressed by the winner, Ilona Elek, who was Hungarian and Jewish. Elek went on to become one of the most successful fencers ever, defending her title 12 years later in London after the war years. In 1952, at the age of 45, she was still good enough to win the silver medal in Helsinki.

The only British fencer to ever win a gold medal was Gillian Sheen at Melbourne in 1956. A dental surgeon from London, Sheen, then 28, only just made it into the final but went on to win 4-2 over Olga Orban, of Romania.

Among men in Sydney, Russia, winners of seven medals, including four titles, in Atlanta, will be the nation to beat, while, to the delight of musketeering fans, France possesses one of the great names in the sport for Sydney; Laura Flessel-Colovic will defend the individual épée title and be a part of the defending champion France épée team.