| | Event type
Foil, Individual, Men
| Date | 3 – 4 August 1948 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Palace of Engineering, Wembley, London |
| Participants | 63 from 25 countries |
French wine merchant Jéhan de Buhan lost arguably the best years of his career to the 12-year gap between Olympic Games caused by the Second World War. It seemed that he had been eclipsed by younger talents particularly in the shape of Christian d’Oriola who won the 1947 World title as a teenager. De Buhan had also been a World Champion in 1947 but in épée rather than foil and it was for that weapon that he was originally chosen to compete in the London Games. Circumstances within the French team meant that he switched events to foil and he made the most of his opportunity. He lost only once in his 25 bouts and defeated d’Oriola 5-2 in what was to prove the decisive match of the final pool. The bronze medal was decided by a tiebreaker with Lajos Maszlay of Hungary edging home favourite Emrys Lloyd on the ratio of hits given to those taken.
Round One (3 August 1948 — 09:00)
Top four finishers in each pool advanced to quarter-finals.
Pool 1
| Jury President | Warren Dow |  USA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manlio Di Rosa |  ITA | 6 | 1 | 16 | |||
| 2 | Fulvio Galimi |  ARG | 6 | 1 | 18 | |||
| 3 | Aage Leidersdorff |  DEN | 6 | 2 | 24 | |||
| 4 | Walo Hörning |  SUI | 5 | 3 | – | |||
| 5 | Émile Gretsch |  LUX | 5 | 3 | – | |||
| 6 | Lucilo de la Peña |  CUB | 3 | 4 | – | |||
| 7 | Hugo Higueras |  PER | 2 | 5 | – | |||
| =8 | Salvatore Sciannamea |  BRA | 0 | 7 | – | |||
| =8 | Tom Smith |  IRL | 0 | 7 | – |
Pool 2
| Jury President | Bernard Schmetz |  FRA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuliano Nostini | ITA | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2 | André Van De Werve De Vorsselaer |  BEL | 5 | 1 | |||
| 3 | Mahmoud Younes |  EGY | 4 | 3 | |||
| 4 | Nils Rydström |  SWE | 4 | 3 | |||
| 5 | Armando Barrientos | CUB | 4 | 3 | |||
| 6 | Ioannis Karamazakis |  GRE | 2 | 5 | |||
| 7 | Jaime Ucar |  URU | 1 | 5 | |||
| 8 | Georges Pouliot |  CAN | 0 | 7 | |||
| BRA | – | – | 2 |
Pool 3
| Jury President | Charley Lion | FRA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emrys Lloyd |  GBR | 5 | 1 | – | – | |||
| 2 | Henri Paternóster | BEL | 4 | 2 | – | 18 | |||
| 3 | Renzo Nostini | ITA | 4 | 2 | – | 20 | |||
| 4 | Endre Palócz |  HUN | 3 | 3 | – | – | |||
| 5 | Ole Albrechtsen | DEN | 3 | 3 | – | – | |||
| 6 | Heikki Raitio |  FIN | 2 | 4 | – | – | |||
| 7 | Enrique Accorsi |  CHI | 0 | 6 | – | – | |||
| Fidel Luna |  MEX | – | – | – | – |
Pool 4
| Jury President | Fr. Del Vecchio | ITA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian d'Oriola | FRA | 7 | 0 | – | – | |||
| 2 | Lajos Maszlay | HUN | 5 | 2 | – | 19 | |||
| 3 | Ferdinando Alessandri | BRA | 5 | 2 | – | 22 | |||
| 4 | Henny ter Weer |  NED | 4 | 3 | – | – | |||
| 5 | Léon Buck | LUX | 3 | 4 | – | 27 | |||
| 6 | Konstantinos Bembis | GRE | 3 | 4 | – | 30 | |||
| 7 | Nick Thuillier | IRL | 1 | 6 | – | – | |||
| 8 | Roland Asselin | CAN | 0 | 7 | – | – | |||
| Béla Bay | HUN | – | – | – | – | ||||
| Anthony O'Connor | IRL | – | – | – | – | ||||
| Fernand Leischen | LUX | – | – | – | – |
Pool 5
| Jury President | Guglielmo Grinda | ITA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jéhan de Buhan | FRA | 6 | 0 | – | – | |||
| 2 | Bo Eriksson | SWE | 5 | 2 | – | 20 | |||
| 3 | Daniel Rossi | URU | 5 | 2 | – | 22 | |||
| 4 | Hassan Tawfik | EGY | 4 | 3 | – | – | |||
| 5 | Nate Lubell | USA | 3 | 4 | – | – | |||
| 6 | Johannes Zoet | NED | 2 | 5 | – | 31 | |||
| 7 | Jorge Agostini | CUB | 2 | 4 | – | 27 | |||
| 8 | Owen Tuohy | IRL | 0 | 7 | – | – | |||
| Benito Ramos | MEX | – | – | – | – |
Pool 6
| Jury President | F. Soille | FRA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dean Cetrulo | USA | 7 | 0 | – | – | |||
| 2 | René Bougnol | FRA | 6 | 1 | – | – | |||
| 3 | Manuel Torrente | ARG | 5 | 2 | – | – | |||
| 4 | Arthur Smith | GBR | 4 | 3 | – | – | |||
| 5 | Kauko Jalkanen | FIN | 2 | 5 | – | 30 | |||
| 6 | Emiliano Camargo |  COL | 2 | 5 | – | 32 | |||
| =7 | Jean-Maurice Rubli | SUI | 1 | 5 | – | 29 | |||
| =7 | Eddy Kuijpers | NED | 1 | 6 | – | 34 | |||
| Gottfried von Meiss | SUI | – | – | – | – |
Pool 7
| Jury President | Renato Anselmi | ITA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Paul | GBR | 5 | 1 | 17 | |||
| 2 | Félix Galimi | ARG | 5 | 1 | 20 | |||
| 3 | Silvio Giolito | USA | 4 | 2 | – | |||
| 4 | Osman Abdel Hafeez | EGY | 3 | 3 | – | |||
| 5 | Gust Lamesch | LUX | 3 | 3 | – | |||
| =6 | Nihat Balkan |  TUR | 0 | 5 | – | |||
| =6 | Alfredo Grisi | MEX | 0 | 5 | – | |||
| Alfonso Ahumada | COL | – | – | – | ||||
| Nils Sjöblom | FIN | – | – | – |
Pool 8
| Jury President | Vincenzo Cuccia | ITA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergio Iesi | URU | 6 | 1 | 16 | |||
| 2 | Paul Valcke | BEL | 6 | 1 | 18 | |||
| 3 | Ivan Ruben | DEN | 5 | 2 | – | |||
| 4 | Corrado Schlaepfer | SUI | 4 | 3 | – | |||
| 5 | József Hátszeghy | HUN | 4 | 3 | – | |||
| 6 | Stefanos Zintzos | GRE | 2 | 5 | – | |||
| 7 | Alf Horn | CAN | 1 | 6 | – | |||
| 8 | Nejat Tulgar | TUR | 0 | 7 | – | |||
| Miguel Valderrama | COL | – | – | – |
Quarter-Finals (3 August 1948 — 15:00)
Top four finishers in each pool advanced to quarter-finals.
Pool 1
| Jury President | Guglielmo Grinda | ITA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuliano Nostini | ITA | 6 | 0 | – | – | |||
| 2 | René Bougnol | FRA | 5 | 1 | – | – | |||
| 3 | Ivan Ruben | DEN | 4 | 3 | – | 23 | |||
| 4 | Dean Cetrulo | USA | 4 | 3 | – | 26 | |||
| 5 | André Van De Werve De Vorsselaer | BEL | 3 | 4 | – | – | |||
| 6 | Hassan Tawfik | EGY | 2 | 5 | – | – | |||
| 7 | Endre Palócz | HUN | 1 | 5 | – | – | |||
| 8 | Daniel Rossi | URU | 1 | 5 | – | – |
Pool 2
| Jury President | R. Mercier | FRA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manlio Di Rosa | ITA | 6 | 0 | – | – | |||
| 2 | Jéhan de Buhan | FRA | 5 | 1 | – | – | |||
| 3 | Silvio Giolito | USA | 4 | 2 | – | 22 | |||
| 4 | Bo Eriksson | SWE | 4 | 2 | – | 23 | |||
| 5 | Aage Leidersdorff | DEN | 2 | 4 | – | 22 | |||
| 6 | Arthur Smith | GBR | 2 | 4 | – | 27 | |||
| 7 | Fulvio Galimi | ARG | 1 | 5 | – | – | |||
| 8 | Walo Hörning | SUI | 0 | 6 | – | – |
Pool 3
| Jury President | Hubert Van Nerom | BEL |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Christian d'Oriola | FRA | 6 | 1 | 33 | 18 | |||
| =1 | Félix Galimi | ARG | 6 | 1 | 33 | 18 | |||
| 3 | Henri Paternóster | BEL | 4 | 3 | – | 21 | |||
| 4 | Osman Abdel Hafeez | EGY | 4 | 2 | – | 22 | |||
| 5 | René Paul | GBR | 3 | 4 | – | – | |||
| 6 | Henny ter Weer | NED | 2 | 4 | – | – | |||
| 7 | Corrado Schlaepfer | SUI | 1 | 5 | – | – | |||
| 8 | Ferdinando Alessandri | BRA | 0 | 6 | – | – |
Pool 4
| Jury President | György Rozgonyi | HUN |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renzo Nostini | ITA | 5 | 1 | – | 12 | |||
| 2 | Emrys Lloyd | GBR | 5 | 1 | 28 | 16 | |||
| 3 | Lajos Maszlay | HUN | 5 | 1 | 27 | 16 | |||
| 4 | Paul Valcke | BEL | 5 | 2 | – | 20 | |||
| 5 | Sergio Iesi | URU | 3 | 4 | – | – | |||
| 6 | Manuel Torrente | ARG | 1 | 5 | – | 26 | |||
| 7 | Mahmoud Younes | EGY | 1 | 5 | – | 27 | |||
| 8 | Nils Rydström | SWE | 0 | 6 | – | – |
Semi-Finals (4 August 1948 — 09:00)
Top four finishers in each pool advanced to quarter-finals.
Pool 1
| Jury President | Fr. Del Vecchio | ITA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jéhan de Buhan | FRA | 6 | 0 | – | – | |||
| 2 | Christian d'Oriola | FRA | 5 | 1 | – | – | |||
| 3 | Ivan Ruben | DEN | 4 | 2 | – | 18 | |||
| 4 | Emrys Lloyd | GBR | 4 | 2 | – | 22 | |||
| 5 | Renzo Nostini | ITA | 2 | 4 | – | – | |||
| 6 | Henri Paternóster | BEL | 1 | 5 | – | 28 | |||
| 7 | Osman Abdel Hafeez | EGY | 1 | 5 | 18 | 29 | |||
| 8 | Silvio Giolito | USA | 1 | 5 | 17 | 29 |
Pool 2
| Jury President | Bernard Schmetz | FRA |
|---|
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Lajos Maszlay | HUN | 5 | 1 | 18 | |||
| =1 | Paul Valcke | BEL | 5 | 2 | 22 | |||
| =1 | René Bougnol | FRA | 5 | 2 | 23 | |||
| 4 | Manlio Di Rosa | ITA | 4 | 3 | – | |||
| 5 | Dean Cetrulo | USA | 4 | 3 | – | |||
| 6 | Giuliano Nostini | ITA | 2 | 4 | – | |||
| 7 | Félix Galimi | ARG | 1 | 5 | – | |||
| 8 | Bo Eriksson | SWE | 0 | 6 | – |
Final Pool (4 August 1948 — 15:00)
| Jury President (1st half) | György Rozgonyi | HUN |
|---|---|---|
| Jury President (2nd half) | Georges Heyvaert | BEL |
| Pos | Competitor(s) | NOC | Bouts Won | Bouts Lost | TD | TR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jéhan de Buhan | FRA | 7 | 0 | 35 | 14 | |||
| 2 | Christian d'Oriola | FRA | 5 | 2 | 29 | 18 | |||
| 3 | Lajos Maszlay | HUN | 4 | 3 | 25 | 22 | |||
| 4 | Emrys Lloyd | GBR | 4 | 3 | 23 | 29 | |||
| 5 | René Bougnol | FRA | 3 | 4 | 28 | 26 | |||
| 6 | Manlio Di Rosa | ITA | 3 | 4 | 22 | 27 | |||
| 7 | Paul Valcke | BEL | 1 | 6 | 23 | 31 | |||
| 8 | Ivan Ruben | DEN | 1 | 6 | 15 | 33 |