Russian army officer leads the charge

Fencing

Aleksandr Beketov, of Russia, eliminated a pair of defending medallists - the French team-mates Jean-Michel Henry and Eric Srecki - and then survived a marathon bout with a fellow Olympic rookie to win the gold medal in the men's individual epee on Saturday.

Beketov, a warrant officer in the Russian army, defeated Ivan Trevejo- Perez, of Cuba, 15-14 in a final that was tied nine times.

Trevejo-Perez scored five successive points for a 10-6 lead, but Beketov responded with six consecutive scores, including a double touch.

Finally, Beketov won the gold with a lunge to his opponent's right side almost six minutes into the bout

Hungary won bronze when Geza Imre defeated his compatriot Ivan Kovacs 15-9.