Tan Xue carries China's fencing medal hope
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-08-16 21:41

Three days into the Olympic fencing competition, none of the Chinese fencers has advanced into the semi-finals with Tan Xue of the women's sabre the last hope of a individual medal in Athens.

Wu Hanxiong finished seventh in the men's foil on Monday while Zhang Li took the sixth place in the women's epee on Sunday, the two best results so far for Chinese fencing team.

"We should have done better in the past three days. I think we did have the chances," said Xiao Tian, vice president of the Chinese delegation. "We still have the women's sabre and men's epee individuals to play, and our best chance is on the team events."

Tan, who won China's first women's sabre world championship in 2002, carries the whole load to bring a medal back home after a 20- year medal drought in the individual events in Olympics.

Luan Jujie won the first and only gold medal in the women's foil at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games for China.

Americans Jacobson sisters, Sada and Emily, and European elite fencers will not leave Tan a green path to any podium finish.

With a bye in the first round, Tan, ranked fifth in the world, will wait for the winner of the match between Ukraine's Darya Nedeshkowskaia and France's Celile Argiolas in the final 16 round.

One of the Jacobsons, who may clash in the quarterfinals, will take on Tan in the semi-finals could the Chinese dispose off world No. 3 fencer, Elena Netchaeva of Russia.

China's men's epee team, composed of Zhao Gang, Wang Lei and Xie Yongjun, doesn't have a chance for a medal in Tuesday's individual event. The women's sabre competition will start earlier on Tuesday.