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| August 15, 2008 | (Use j/k keys to navigate)  Email to a friend  Permalink |
Women's Olympic Fencing
Spectators at the fencing competition at the Olympics are often treated to some dramatic, emotional scenes - played out by passionate competitors dressed all in white, hi-tech gear, meeting inside a large darkened stadium. It also makes for some dramatic imagery, which I'll share with you here -- 16 scenes from recent women's fencing matches in Beijing. (16 photos total)
China's Zhang Lei reacts to losing the Women's individual Foil round of 16 match to Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali (unseen) on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center, as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. Vezzali won 10-7. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Indra Angad-Gaur of the Netherlands (L) competes against Egypt's Iman El Gammal during the Women's individual Foil elimination round of 64 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center in Beijing. Angad-Gaur won 13-4. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Mariel Zagunis of the United States celebrates her victory against compatriot Sada Jacobson during the women's individual sabre final match on August 9, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention Center in Beijing. Zagunis won the match and the gold medal. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Italy's Giovanna Trillini (L) hits Korea's Nam Hyunhee during the Women's individual Foil semi-final 1 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Nam won 15-10. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Zhang Lei of China celebrates her victory against Malgorzata Wojtkowiak of Poland during their women's individual foil fencing competition of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 11, 2008. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
China's Zhang Lei (L) competes with Poland's Malgorzata Wojtkowiak during the Women's individual Foil elimination round on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Zhang won 15-8. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)
Giovanna Trillini of Italy and Nam Hyunhee of South Korea compete in the semifinals of the women's individual foil fencing event at the Fencing Hall on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Maria Valentina Vezzali of Italy celebrates winning the women's fencing individual foil gold medal match over Nam Hyunhee of South Korea (not pictured) at the Fencing Hall on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008. (Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Italy's Giovanna Trillini (L) competes against Cuba's Misleydis Company during the Women's individual Foil elimination round of 32 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center, as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. Trillini won 15-7. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali (L) competes against China's Zhang Lei during the Women's individual Foil elimination round of 16 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Vezzali won 10-7. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Italy's Margherita Granbassi looks dejected after losing the Women's individual Foil semi-final 2 match to fellow countrywoman Maria Valentina Vezzali on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Vezzali won 12-3. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)
China's Zhang Lei (L) competes against Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali during the Women's individual Foil round of 16 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center, as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. Vezzali won 10-7. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Korea's Nam Hyunhee celebrates after defeating Italy's Giovanna Trillini (unseen) in the Women's individual Foil semi-final 1 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Nam won 15-10. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)
Korea's Nam Huynhee (L) competes against Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali during the Women's individual Foil final match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Vezzali won the event ahead of Korea's Nam Huynhee and fellow countrywoman Margharita Granbassi. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Tunisia's Azza Besbes cries on the floor following her quarterfinals defeat in the Womens Individual Sabre at the Fencing Hall of the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali (L) and fellow countrywoman Margherita Granbassi bite their medals on the podium after they respectively won gold and bronze in the Women's individual Foil tournament on August 11, 2008. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)
More links and information:
Fencing Results - Official Olympics statistics
Vezzali wins record third foil gold - China Post, 8/12
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Great pictures!
Great timing!
That multi-exposure says it all.
why bite the bronze medal?
Great photos. Can you use flash at an event like this?
USA USA USA USA
Lovely photos as always!
Great pictures!
Great timing!
Thanks for the cool pictures. Enjoy your vacation! :)
Pictures are truly wonderful! We want more...:)
Best regards for Slovenia, EU.
love this blog....keep on posting great photos...thank you so much.
amazing shots
There's no crying in Fencing!
Are they supposed to be biting, or posing seductively? Someone didn't tell Granbassi (on the right.)
Great pictures! As always.
http://www.photodunski.com
Very Nice!
Hotties :P
LOL
wow, those are some great shots, thanks for posting them in such high res, the detail is incredible. The long exposure is great.
the caption on the 12th picture is wrong. The woman on the left is wearing a korean uniform, so it can not be Zhang Lei of China. I'm assuming it is probably Nam Hyunhee?
saw some of this live. thought it was going to be lame. turned out to be incredibly intense!! super good fencing, super good pics!!
I love this site. Massive range of emotions in those pictures.
The Big Picture is now copied by the WSJ. Compliment indeed...
http://blogs.wsj.com/thebigpicture/2008/08/14/new-realities-in-gori/
Aw. It's heartbreaking about Azza Besbes (the lady on the ground crying).
Also, the two people in the last picture have nice teeth.
Cool pictures, Margherita Granbassi sure is a cutie
HUMANNNNNN .... ROOOOBOOT
sorry those fencing masks remind me of daft punk
What exactly does it say?
screwby
I'm guessing the 6th photo is a long exposure with multiple flash bursts...?
The second from the last photo is a near-iconic sports photo. An athlete, crumbled in defeat, with the scoreboard beneath her showing just how close the margin of victory was. And the image on the screen below the scoreboard, is that the winner of the match taking a bow?
There's some remarkable technology being used in this old sport. With all the wires and those electronics-equipped masks and suits, these competitors do look a bit robotic. But with the fluid movements and poses that only we humans possess. For now.
On a side note, yes Granbassi is not too hard on the eyes at all. Neither is our own sabreuse Zagunis.
Cool dude, Awesome images.
JT
www.FireMe.To/udi
happy holidays :)
keep up the good stuff.
r.
Margherita Granbassi is super pretty.
Cool pictures, Margherita Granbassi sure is a cutie
Someone should write about the technology of the fencing gear they wear. I would read about it.
You bite the bronze medal to show your perfect teeth. Duh. :)
I'd like to know where the epee shots are.
I hope everyone watched these on the website. Fantastic stuff, great photos!
Women are Warriors!
Sure hope those medals don't have any lead content....
@25 - Harder Better Faster Stronger!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnL1xE1WFe0
beautiful pictures!
"why bite the bronze?" - david
Being the 3rd best Olympian is a big deal. Give the gal some credit. It is really sad that in America, the saying the "no-one remembers who came second (or third)" is alive and well.
Great pictures.
5. ””Y TIRA!!
Shots are realistic...super quality. Show us more...
Such an interesting combination of new technologies blended with old-school fencing. It's like retro-science fiction.
http://ericstoller.com/blog/
FILFs!
Sure hope those medals don't have any lead content....
Proud to be italian! http://davidlatache.com
these pictures are brill, it's a shame that fencing is rather dreary to watch. nice one
I'm not a sabre fencer (Epee baby!) but I did enjoy that bout between Zagunis and Jacobson! These photos are just beautiful. Oh and no crying in fencing you say? Well tell that the the saberist who was sobing all over the piste. :P
Very nice
straight out of a StarWars film
Margherita, I'm in love with you !!!!
Ton regard mutin fait mouche sur mon coeur chavirƩ...
Si je viens en vacances dans ton beau pays,
tu me donnerais quelques cours d'escrime ???
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You bite the medal, to put YOUR mark on it. The individual medal will endure, even after you are dead and buried. Hopefully, your mark, and your efforts, will be remembered.
great photos...all of them!
People bite the gold medal for fun, because in the past that was a good way to check if a gold coin is really made of gold since gold is a "soft" metal, it would carve the teeth markings. Bronze, not so much. That is why david asked why bite the bronze medal.
very very cooooooooooooooool , thank you.............
SUPER, SUPER,SUPER... Danke scheon
I heard all the medals are MADE IN CHINA! lol
Oh, yes! Have a nice and relaxing holiday
I had the opportunity of taking up this sport in San Francisco over 60 years ago but had too much on my plate at the time. Wonder if it's too late to start now? Question: Does anyone know whatever happened to Emily and Carl Romaine, the photographer/fencers from the "city" where Tony Bennett left his heart?
fantasec love it whant it
Great!
sooooooooooooo goooooooood
thank you
thank you
nam huynhee is great!!
sooooooooooooooo niceeeeeeeeee.
what a great collection.
wow, the pictures are great! hopefully I will have pictures like this one day since I am proud to say that as a teenage girl fencing is my passion and love. As an adult im sure it will be too a passion and love. Thank you.
Great Italian women!!! ;)
Vezzali and Granbassi the best!
Giņ
http://pampafamily.homeip.net/photoblog/oculus/
hello
please send me picture
thanks
i love fencing. good pictures. im writing about the last 5 female fencers to win the olympics!k
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Commentary and/or posts are to be well intentioned and respectful. This is not a place to cause pain or grief, but rather give national prominence to our athletes and sport.
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Proprintwear
gud ..........
This is quite a bit late, but it looks like the fifth one from the bottom (the one where she's jumping) may be mis-captioned. That's the (South) Korean logo thing (can never remember what it's called) on her pant leg. The Chinese one is red and gold as shown in two other pictures in this series...
very gooooooooooooood pls send this picture
awesome u know I fence 2 n_n
I`m totally hooked!
Great pictures! Thank you!!
Valentina Vezzali, the queen of fencing!!!!!!!
Great pictures! Thank you!!
Valentina Vezzali, the queen of fencing!!!!!!!