The U.S. Men’s Epee Team has lost its match against the no. 2 seed, France, in the round of eight in the final day of fencing competition in Athens.
The team of Cody Mattern (Portland, OR), Seth Kelsey (Brush Prairie, WA) and Soren Thompson (San Diego, CA) struggled to stay within several touches of the French team throughout the match, but in the end lost 45-32.
Near the end of the match Soren Thompson, who reached the final 8 in the individual Olympic competition, outscored French star Eric Boisse, who reached the semifinals individually.
France advanced all the way to the gold medal match, where they will face Hungary later this afternoon. Russia faces Germany for the bronze.
In placement rounds, the US men defeated China soundly, leading throughout the match, 45-36. They then lost to the Ukraine, 45-33, and will finish in 6th place.
The entire US team has surpassed all expectations with Thompson’s top-8 finish, with its gold and bronze medals earned by Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, OR) and Sada Jacobson (Dunwoody, GA) and by the 4th place finish of the men’s saber and foil teams, the highest in five decades.
