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Paris: Three-times men's sabre champion Aron Szilagyi suffered a surprise defeat to a debutant in Paris on Saturday, ending his dream of becoming the only sixth Olympian to win the same individual event at four consecutive Games.
First-time Olympian Fares Arfa of Canada beat the Hungarian veteran 15 touches to eight.
“I’m in a bit of shock right now," Szilagyi told reporters. "It happened so fast, and I’ve never thought that my individual competition here in Paris would be so short."
“It’s like my opponent read me. I was an open book to him. In every touch, what he wanted, it happened. All his parries worked, all his attacks landed.”
“It was like as if he’d been the three-time Olympic champion, and I was some kind of first-time Olympian," he said.
Szilagyi won gold in the men’s individual sabre in 2012, 2016, and the delayed 2020 Games.
A victory in Paris would have put him on a par with some Olympic greats in winning the same event at four consecutive Games. The feat has been achieved by Carl Lewis in the long jump, Michael Phelps in the 200m individual medley, Mijain Lopez in super-heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestling, Paul Elvstroem in the heavyweight dinghy and Al Oerter in the discus.
Arfa, ranked 35th in the world, moved into the last 16 at the Grand Palais.
“Of course, we will watch my match again to understand what really happened, but after some time. Then I’ll think of the team event,” Szilagyi said.
The men's sabre team event will take place on July 31.