Kolobkov wins men's epee gold medal

Sydney: Pavel Kolobkov of Russia won the men's individual epee gold medal on Saturday, the first fencing title to be decided at the Sydney Games.

Kolobkov beat Frenchman Hugues Obry 15-12 in the final, while Lee Sang-Ki of South Korea edged Marcel Fischer of Switzerland 15-14 to win the bronze.

Kolobkov had beaten Lee 13-9 in the semi-finals while Obry scored a controversial 15-13 win over Fischer after the Swiss fencer twice had penalty points awarded against him in the final minute.

Kolobkov, a 1993 and 1994 world champion, completed his full set of Olympic medals. He had previously won two silvers and two bronzes in individual and team events dating back to 1988.

World champion Arnd Schmitt, the veteran German who had been aiming to win Olympic gold medals in the event 12 years apart, was beaten by Fischer in the third round -- one of a series of upsets in the early rounds of the event.



(c) Reuters Limited.