Hiroaki Toto of France delivered a commanding performance to top a field of 138 fencers, defeating Canada’s Junzhe (Simon) Shan 15–11 in front of an appreciative crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s Carioca Arena 1, the venue that hosted fencing at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Toto recovered from an early 3–1 deficit to take a narrow 5–4 lead into the first-minute break. From there, he controlled the bout, scoring three toe touches and capitalizing on five double touches in the final phase—sealing the victory with a double on the decisive, gold medal touch.
The Frenchman’s path to the title was marked by consistent, composed fencing. He earned a 15–12 victory over Türkiye’s Mehmet Ilgar Cevizici in the round of 16, followed with a 15–11 win against Australia’s Sora Robinson in the quarterfinals, and then defeated Japan’s Ando Kyosuke in the semifinals.
Ando showed great determination despite fencing with a right leg injury, which significantly limited his mobility in a discipline where footspeed is crucial.
In the other semifinal, Shan advanced with a dominant 15–8 win over Ukraine’s Oleksandr Stabnikov. Stabnikov had earlier produced one of the most thrilling bouts of the day, rallying for a 14–13 overtime victory against Belgium’s Wout van Laecke in the quarterfinals.
Both Ando and Stabnikov claimed bronze medals.
Final Ranking – Cadet Men’s Épée
Hiroaki Toto (FRA) – Gold
Junzhe (Simon) Shan (CAN) – Silver
Oleksandr Stabnikov (UKR) – Bronze
Ando Kyosuke (JPN) – Bronze
Sora Robinson (AUS)
Wout van Laecke (BEL)
Aron Petrovszki (HUN)
Mordechai Milu Lachman (ISR)