 |
 |
 |
|
ATHENS, Greece -- A rally by Keeth Smart fell short in the U.S. saber fencing team's lost to France on Thursday, a semifinal match that came down to a final point that left his opponent bleeding from his hand.
Smart stood in the middle of the strip, his helmet off and mouth agape, after the referee awarded the final point to France's Damien Touya, who had bloodstains on his white suit.
 | |
| Keeth Smart is consoled by Ivan Lee after Team USA's last-touch loss to France in the semis.(AP) |
The Americans trailed 40-38 entering the final rotation of the bout in which 45 touches wins, but Smart rallied against Touya, pulling within 43-42. Touya took the next touch, but Smart came back to tie the bout at 44 and set up the deciding point.
Smart and Touya charged each other and recorded touches, but the referee did not award a point. On the play, Smart's saber went through Touya's glove, piercing his hand at the webbing of the fingers, and exiting through his palm. His trainers bandaged the hand while his replacement, Boris Sandson, warmed up.
Smart, meanwhile, took a seat on a chair on the edge of the strip, getting advice from his coach, Yury Gelman. With a 10-minute timeout set to end, Touya chose to return to the match with his injured and bandaged hand instead of being replaced.
The two fencers attacked two more times but no points were awarded. On the fourth and deciding point, Smart and Touya both recorded touches, but referee Jose Luis Alvarez ruled that Touya caught Smart while preparing to attack, giving the Frenchman the victory.
Gelman ran onto the strip to argue with the referee, but to no avail.
Earlier, the Americans upset Hungary to advance to the semifinals. In that bout, Smart entered the final rotation trailing 40-38, but outscored Domonkos Ferjancsik 7-3 to give the U.S. team a 45-43 victory.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved