Tilemachos Karakalos

Silver medal, April 8, 1896, Tilemachos Karakalos, sabre individual. Athens 1896

The competition took place on the fourth day of the Games on April 8 at the Zappeion Palace. Five athletes participated, two foreigners and three Greeks, all competing against each other, with Karakalos defeating three opponents, losing only to Georgiadis, who won the gold medal undefeated.

In the sabre event, he successively defeated Austria’s Adolf Schmal 3-0, Denmark’s Holger Nielsen 3-2 and Greece’s Giorgos Iatridis 3-0, ending up facing the other great Greek fencer, Ioannis Georgiadis. This duel was one of the most sensational of the competition, because the two athletes were equal and the Athens audience could not support one or the other. The public supported both competitors, applauding each time the effort of both.

For a while it was a draw, but at some point Georgiadis managed the decisive blow, winning 3:2 and taking the gold medal. In the sabre event, the point system was in effect, and this was the only defeat Karakalos suffered, so he won the silver medal. The third place went to the Danish fencer Nielsen, who had 2 wins and 2 losses.