Japan beats Italy for the last fencing gold medal of the Paris Olympics in men's team foil

PARIS — Japan won its second fencing gold medal of the Paris Olympics by beating Italy 45-36 in the last bout of the Games in the men's team foil final Sunday.

Japan's alternate, Yudai Nagano, came in for the eighth leg and gave Japan a commanding lead with a 5-0 matchup with Italy's replacement fencer, Alessio Foconi. That left teammate Kazuki Iimura a 40-32 advantage to close out the win on the last leg. It was Japan's fifth fencing medal of the Paris Games and second gold.

The last bout was a suitably tense contest in front of one final capacity crowd at the cavernous Grand Palais, the imposing arched hall built in 1900 that has been a hit with spectators and fencers alike.

Still, the crowd was notably quieter for the final after making the Grand Palais echo with cheers when France recovered from five points down to beat the United States 45-32 for the bronze medal, the host nation's seventh fencing medal of the Paris Games.

After an otherwise strong Olympics in fencing for the U.S., it was a downbeat end, despite support from rapper-turned-NBC correspondent Snoop Dogg, who met with the Americans after their 45-35 quarterfinal win over Egypt.

The U.S. won four fencing medals in Paris, compared to two in Tokyo in 2021. The Paris haul included a first-ever team gold, while Lee Kiefer also won the individual women's foil in an all-U.S. final and became the first American fencer to win three career gold medals.

In the saber events, though, the U.S. team's efforts were overshadowed by an ongoing investigation into alleged match-fixing or manipulation. Following legal challenges to Olympic team selection, governing body USA Fencing expressed concern at the “emotional strain” on fencers, none of whom have been accused of personally manipulating any bouts.