This is a press release from SPORTCOM: Farès Arfa puts in the performance of his life at his first games
The Olympic and Paralympic Games represent the pinnacle of sporting performance in the world. Bringing the world’s population together around physical activity, the Games allow millions of young people to dream, millions of teenagers to surpass themselves and millions of adults to be motivated. BougeBouge, in partnership with SportCom, would like to share some of the highlights of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in a variety of sports and athletes.
Paris, 27 July 2024 (Sportcom) – Even before taking to the piste for his duel in the round of 32, sabre fencer Farès Arfa knew that he would have to play his best game if he wanted to progress to the next round. He was up against a living legend of his sport: Hungary’s Aron Szilagyi, the only man to have won three consecutive Olympic titles (2012, 2016 and 2021). On Saturday, at the Paris Olympic Games, the man from Laval defeated him 15-8 in what he describes as the best fight of his career.
Arfa then followed up with another 15-8 victory over France’s Bolade Apithy, with thousands of spectators chanting “Allez les Bleus”. His fine run came to an end in the quarter-finals against South Korean and 2019 world champion Oh Sanguk, the tournament’s third seed, winning 15-13.
The medal matches will be played later in the evening, Paris time.
The 29-year-old finished in eighth place, the best individual Canadian men’s result in Olympic history.
“It was a great experience and I’m satisfied with what I did. We’ll go for what’s left in the team competition. I’m a bit disappointed to finish two points short of a medal, but I’m happy with my performance. I pushed him to the limit,” commented the Quebecer on the Korean.
François Cauchon, for his part, was eliminated in his first match in the individual draw of 64 and finished 34th. The other Canadian, Shaul Gordon, suffered the same fate in the round of 32, finishing 29th.
In women’s epee, Ontario’s Ruien Xiao came 14th.
While Arfa barely touched the ground after his victory over Szilagyi, he was more grounded and confident after his second win.
“Coming back down to earth was the hardest part. You’ve just won a match against a three-time Olympic champion and you’ve got your head in the clouds, but you’ve got to find a way of coming back down to earth. Luckily there was a lot of time between the two fights.
The Canadian team’s coach, Arthur Zatko, was particularly proud to see that it was a Quebecer who had managed to beat Szilagyi in an individual Olympic draw in 16 years. And even more so that it happened in France, his home country.
“A lot of people would have said they were beaten beforehand. But not him. It’s incredible to see him perform like that! It’s a real source of pride. We worked hard to get his fencing out today, so I’m really, really proud of him!
That pride was also tinged with disappointment, however, as several top seeds fell and the field was wide open for Arfa to go even further.
“I’m still disappointed, very disappointed and bitter, because he’s only just got his fingertips on it, but that’s the game. He had his best day of competition ever and I’m very happy and proud that he did it today,” he continued with a tremor in his voice, perhaps thinking that a medal could have turned into more generous subsidies for the national federation, whose athletes regularly dip into their pockets to take part in World Cups and Grand Prix events.
Arfa admits that he “got carried away by the Korean’s rhythm and energy” two-thirds of the way through his last encounter. “I found a way to get back to the game plan that had been set out by the coach and then make up for what I could. At times like that, you want to keep going and you tell yourself you know what to do, but you get into the rhythm of your opponent, who gains confidence and wants you to carry on like that. That’s when you have to be able to break the rhythm and come back.
Farès Arfa and Oh Sanguk will meet again in the first round of the team competition, which will be presented next Wednesday.
“This time, I’m going to smash it,” concluded Arfa in a burst of laughter.
No regrets for Cauchon
In the morning, François Cauchon saw his journey halted by Argentina’s Pascual di Tella following his 15-13 defeat. As the scoreline indicates, the match, which ended on a video replay, was tight from start to finish.
“I think it was the right decision. It could have gone either way and the referee saw it that way,” resigned the 24-year-old Montrealer as he left the arena, though he had no regrets. “It was a great experience, but I’m extremely disappointed. It was a good match against a good opponent and it was a few small technical errors that cost me the match, but I don’t think the video replay had anything to do with my final feeling.”
Cauchon knew his opponent well, a bronze medallist at the Pan-American Games last autumn, except that he had never come close to beating him in the past. “When I saw that I could hold him in the match, it really gave me momentum and I was confident that I could go and get him.”
At 5-5, the Quebecer went wide at the back of the piste and it took him a few seconds to get back up as he felt pain in his hamstring. “With the adrenaline, you don’t really feel it and it didn’t really scare me.
The Argentinian even came over to give him a pat on the back for encouragement after the incident. “Fencing is a gentleman’s sport. Even if you shout at each other and hit each other hard, you respect your opponent. You don’t want to win when the other person is on the ground,” explained di Tella.
Cauchon got to his feet and followed up with a fine sequence to the cheers of the crowd, who were happy to see that he was back in action. A few “Allez François!” in a Quebecois accent even rang out in the Grand Palais, whose magnificent glass dome had been covered with white canvas to prevent the place from turning into an overheated greenhouse.
Mission accomplished, as the powerful ventilation systems around the stands blew in a cold wind worthy of a Quebec autumn.
The ceremony in express mode
The sabreurs took part in the opening ceremony on Friday, even though they were in action the following morning. The decision was weighed up as a team, as Cauchon explained.
“Shaul (Gordon) and Farès (Arfa), these will probably be their last Games. Initially, I didn’t want to go because I thought it would finish late, but in the end, I got back to the village at 9pm and it was super quick because we took the quick exit. Just after the presentation on the boats, we didn’t go under the Eiffel Tower and we left immediately afterwards on the first bus. So I was in bed by 10.15pm. It was super well organised and several other athletes competing today did the same thing as us.”
-30-