Enzo Lefort (born 29 September 1991) is a French right-handed

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

fencer. Lefort is a four-time team European champion, 2014 team world champion, and two-time individual world champion. A three-time Olympian, Lefort is a 2016 team Olympic silver medalist and 2021 team Olympic champion. Lefort competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Career

Lefort was born in

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. He discovered fencing when he was five, while watching fellow French Caribbean

Laura Flessel Laura Flessel-Colovic (born 6 November 1971) is a French politician and Fencing, épée fencer who served as Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (France), Minister of Sports from 2017 to 2018. Born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, she has won th ...

win the gold medal in the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

at Atlanta. He began fencing at CREPS in

Les Abymes Les Abymes (; ) is the most populous commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located on the west side of the island of Grande-Terre, and is part of the largest metropolitan area of Gua ...

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

, where he trained under Ruddy Plicoste along with Jean-Paul Tony Helissey and

Ysaora Thibus Ysaora Jennifer Thibus (born 22 August 1991) is a French right-handed foil fencer, 2022 individual world champion, three-time Olympian, and 2020 team Olympic silver medalist. Biography Ysaora Thibus is studying at the ESCP Business School. In ...

. He later joined the centre for promising athletes in Châtenay-Malabry in metropolitan France. Lefort won the French national championship in 2012. At the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

he competed in the Men's foil, but was defeated in the second round. In the team event, France were defeated 39–45 against the United States in the quarter-finals. After the fencing section of the Lagardère Paris Racing was dissolved, Lefort joined the Cercle d'Escrime Melun Val de Seine. In the 2013–14 season Lefort won the Challenge International de Paris, his first World Cup medal, and climbed the podium in Venice, Saint-Petersburg and Havana. In the

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

at Strasbourg, Lefort was defeated in the second round by Denmark's Emil Ulrik Andersen. In the team event, France received a bye, then overcame the Czech Republic and Russia to meet Italy in the final. They prevailed 45–41 to earn the gold medal. A month later in the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

at Kazan, Lefort was seeded number two. He made his way to the quarter-finals, where he defeated reigning European champion James-Andrew Davis, but was defeated in the semi-final by Aleksey Cheremisinov of Russia and came away with a bronze medal. In the team event, No.2 seeded France received a bye, then knocked out Hong Kong, Germany and hosts Russia to meet China in the Final. They beat China 45–25 to earn the gold medal. Lefort finished the season No.2 in FIE rankings. At the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, Lefort competed in the Men's foil, being eliminated in the round of 32. In the team event, France were defeated 41-45 by Russia in the finals to earn a silver medal. In 2017, he was the flag bearer for France at the World Military Championships. At the 2019 World Championships in Budapest, he won gold in the individual men's foil. That year, he also won bronze in the

National Honours

He was named a Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2016, and a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 2021.

Medal record

Olympic Games

World Championship

European Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lefort, Enzo French male foil fencers Living people French people of French Guianan descent Olympic fencers for France Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics 1991 births Sportspeople from Cayenne Olympic medalists in fencing Olympic silver medalists for France Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Summer World University Games medalists in fencing Mediterranean Games silver medalists for France Mediterranean Games medalists in fencing Fencers at the 2013 Mediterranean Games FISU World University Games bronze medalists for France Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for France World Fencing Championships medalists 21st-century French sportsmen Fencers at the 2023 European Games European Games silver medalists for France European Games medalists in fencing Fencers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for France