ACOG - News - IBM

(23 July 1996; Day 4)

Golden Moment Finally Arrives for Italian Fencing Veterans

The way things were going, Sandro CUOMO had to wonder whether he was destined to ever win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. Angelo MAZZONI and Mauricio RANDAZZO likely had similiar thoughts.

The 33-year-old CUOMO and the 35-year-old MAZZONI are each competing in their fourth Olympics at the Centennial Games in Atlanta this week. Both have been members of the powerful Italian national team for well over a decade. Both have won World Championships and numerous World Cup events in both individual and team competition, as well as a team bronze at 1984 Olympic Games. But never an Olympic gold. This is RANDAZZO's second Olympic Games.

CUOMO, the world's top-ranked epee fencer, had a marvelous opportunity in the individual competition, in which both of the last two Olympic champions -- Arnd SCHMITT of Germany and Eric SRECKI of France -- were eliminated before the quarterfinals. But CUOMO was also bitten by the upset bug, falling to unheralded 21-year-old Geza IMRE in the quarterfinals. Afterward, he conceded that these Games would almost certainly be his last.

As he awakened Tuesday morning, he and his teammates realized that this day offered perhaps their last chance to fulfill their dreams of an Olympic title. His Italian team was the top seed, but by no means a sure thing -- not given the unpredictable nature of the competition's first three days.

But CUOMO was nothing if not determined. In the semifinal against the Germans, he practically carried the team on his back, scoring 11 of its 44 touches as the two sides engaged in a back-and-forth, give-and-take, momentum-swinging struggle. When all nine regulation bouts ended in a 42-42 draw, it came down to CUOMO against SCHMITT in the first-ever sudden-death duel at the Olympic Games. Twice backed into his corner and forced off the piste by the attacking German, CUOMO called upon all the savvy that 16 years on the national team and four Olympic tournaments could provide. Somehow, he dug his way out of that seemingly insurrmountable hole and managed to tag SCHMITT on his side to claim victory.

CUOMO was again the Italian leader in the final against the Russian Federation, helping to build a seemingly secure 40-35 lead heading into the final bout. But he could only watch in horror as Aleksandr BEKETOV fought from behind against his long-time teammate MAZZONI. Like CUOMO, MAZZONI had also long been a bridesmaid. He, too, was seeking his first Olympic gold. Yet it appeared to be slipping away.

"What did I feel when Aleksandr was getting close to me in the end? Well, I knew he had to take some very great risks since we were always in the lead. He had to attack, and I had to wait."

But this time the Italians would not let the prize slip away. After receiving medical attention to a cut above his eye, MAZZONI eluded a lunge by BEKETOV and tagged the Russian in the torso to end the bout.

"It was a dramatic finish at the end of a dramatic day," MAZZONI said. "Six seconds to go and only one point between us. The drama was all day long actually. We won against the United State by only one point and the same happened against Germany."

"I do not want to exaggerate, but this is the best feeling in the world," said Maurizio RANDAZZO, the third member of the team. "The gold medal is the one thing that every athlete is striving for."

And after years of striving and moments of doubting, Italy's oldies were truly golden.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Mark Vinson.


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