Olympedia – Épée, Individual, Men

Each nation was allowed a maximum of eight entries. Bouts were for one touch with double touches counting as double losses. There is no record of barrage bouts being fenced, so they might have used the same system that was used in 1912. If there was a tie in the number of victories and the number of fencers who were tied was greater than the number who could qualify, the tie was resolved by using the results of the tied fencers in their bouts with each other as if another pool had been fenced. For example, if Fencer A and Fencer B were tied with 4 victories for fifth place in the pool but only five qualified and Fencer A had beaten Fencer B in the pool, then he would be the one promoted.

The organizers set up a fencing area by the stadium but it had no covering. Because it was raining, the competition was held instead in Middelheim, about 45 minutes away from the stadium, where they had installed linoleum pistes indoors for the foil events.

This was the only fencing event at the 1920 Olympics at which Nedo Nadi did not win a gold medal. The event was won by France’s Armand Massard. Massard returned again in 1924 at Paris, finishing fifth in individual épée. The 1919 Inter-Allied épée had been won by France’s E. H. Laurent, who did not compete at Antwerp. The runner-up in 1919 was Portugal’s Jorge de Paiva, who made the finals in Antwerp, but finished last of the finalists.