Golden Memories for IOC President

Forty years after becoming Olympic Champion in the Men's Team Foil, IOC President Thomas Bach presented the gold medals to the foil fencers of Russia in the same event at the Olympic Games Rio 2016. 

France faced Russia in a tightly fought match for the gold medal. An enthusiastic audience at the packed Carioca Arena saw Russia emerge victorious after France had led for most of the match. In an earlier match the US team won the bronze medal against Italy.

At the medal ceremony, President Bach congratulated the Russian, French and US teams for their achievement.

"This was an evening full of emotions," said President Bach following the final match. "Seeing the athletes waiting with such excitement ahead of the medal ceremony brought back all the memories from forty years ago, when I was an athlete going through the same emotions as the winners today."

Golden Memories for IOC President
Golden Memories for IOC President © IOC/Ian Jones

Before the match, President Bach took some time to give an introduction to fencing to young visitors of the Olympic Park.