*After 104 years, swashbuckling French still fencing favorites*
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By Sandy Zinn 
SportsTicker Senior Editor 

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- In what competition have
athletes feinted, lunged, parried and riposted in every Olympic
Games?  Fencing. 

Fencing is one of nine original events and only one of four that
has been contested in every Olympic competition since the first
in 1896, along with track and field, gymnastics and swimming. 

The sport evolved from the ancient form of combat and was the
first to include recognized professionals in medal competition
after original "masters" events in 1896 and 1900. 

Ten gold medals in three disciplines are up for grabs at this
year's Games, which don't figure to include the drama of 1924,
when an Italian and Hungarian settled a scoring controversy with
a real duel. 

Like the old musketeer movies, the best sword fighters in the
world are from France, although in recent years, Russia, Italy
and Hungary have held their own. 

France's Laura Flessel-Colovic is the most publicized fencer in
the world as the reigning Olympic champion in both the women's
individual and team epee competitions. 

Flessel-Colovic, who defeated countrywoman Valerie Barlois in
the individual event, was born on the Carribean island of
Guadeloupe but moved to Paris at the age of 18 to further her
fencing career. 

She also defended her epee title at last year's Senior World
Championships in Seoul, Korea and helped France win the Cup of
Nations. 

Italy and Russia have joined France as world fencing powers and
are primed for several medals in Sydney.  The two nations
combined for seven medals at the 1999 Worlds, with Italy
matching France's championship-high four. 

Russian men won five of the six events, including four gold, at
the 1996 Games and should combine with the other countries to
keep the United States off the podium. 

America's top swashbuckler is Cliff Bayer, a New York native,
1996 Olympian and three-time U.S. National champion.  Bayer also
became the first American men's foil fencer to win a gold medal
at a World Cup event as a junior in December 1995. 

Bayer, expected to graduate from University of Pennsylvania's
prestigious Wharton School of Business next year, will try to
earn the first Olympic fencing medal by an American since 1984. 

He will compete in the foil, an event for men and women with
both individual and team competitions.  Men also have individual
and team events for sabre and epee while women compete in foil
and epee individual and team events. 

The disciplines differ in where points are scored on the body
and with what part of the sword. 

The competition begins September 16 with the men's individual
epee and concludes September 24 with the men's team sabre. 

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