France defeats Italy for men's epee gold
France was the favourite as the top-ranked squad in the world coming into the Summer Games.
Published : Aug 15, 2016 05:21 IST
France won the gold medal in men's team epee, easily defeating Italy 45-31 in a matchup between two of the sport's traditional powers.
Until Sunday, France overall had won just one silver and one bronze in fencing in the Rio Olympics. It was left off the podium entirely in 2012 in London.
The team of Yannick Borel, Daniel Jarent and Jean-Michel Lucenay brought that golden shutout to an end on the last day of the fencing tournament.
Borel wrapped the match up with a quick touch of opponent Marco Fichera. Borel ripped off his mask and let out a scream to celebrate.
France was the favourite as the top-ranked squad in the world coming into the Summer Games.