Shocking Upset: Historic Olympic Streak Ends as Hungary’s Aron Szilagyi Defeated

The first day of the Summer Games featured a shock upset that ended a historic Olympic winning streak.

PARIS, France — A stunning twist occurred in Olympic fencing Saturday as Hungarian fencer Aron Szilagyi’s quest for a fourth consecutive gold medal came to an abrupt end. Szilagyi, known for his dominance in men’s individual saber with gold medals in 2012, 2016, and 2021, faced an unexpected defeat in his opening bout.

Szilagyi was defeated 15-8 by the 27th-seeded Canadian Fares Arfa in the round of 32, marking one of the biggest upsets of the 2024 Olympics so far. Arfa, participating in his first Olympics, initiated the bout with six unanswered points. Although Szilagyi narrowed the score to 6-4, he could not regain control.

“I’m in a bit of shock right now,” said Szilagyi. “It happened so fast, and I’ve never thought that my individual competition here in Paris would be so short.”

Szilagyi continued, “It’s like my opponent read me. I was an open book to him. All his parries worked, all his attacks landed.”

This surprise loss ends Szilagyi’s run of 15 consecutive wins in individual saber at the Olympics. He had remained undefeated in the event since 2008. Arfa, who won team gold with Canada at the Pan-American Games last year, showed extraordinary skill in his Olympic debut.

“It was like he’d been the three-time Olympic champion, and I was some kind of first-time Olympian,” Szilagyi added, reflecting on his unexpected defeat.

The fencing upsets didn’t stop there. Eli Dershwitz, the reigning men’s saber world champion from the U.S., lost 15-10 to Hungarian Csanad Gemesi. Additionally, Sun Yiwen, the defending Olympic champion in women’s epee, was narrowly defeated 14-13 by Japan’s Miho Yoshimura.