Venezuelan fencer (born 1985)
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Limardo and the second or maternal family name is
Gascón .
Rubén Dario Limardo Gascón (born 3 August 1985) is a Venezuelan left-handed épée fencer , five-time team Pan American champion, four-time individual Pan American champion, three-time Olympian , and 2012 individual Olympic champion.[1]
Limardo competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games , the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games , and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games .
His younger brother, Francisco , also competes in fencing on the international level. In 2015 he was elected to the National Assembly for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela .[2]
Olympics
Born in Ciudad Bolívar , Limardo competed for his native country in the 2008 Olympics épée competition, placing 23rd .[citation needed ]
Limardo competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London winning a gold medal in the individual épée event at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre on 1 August, two days before his 27th birthday.[3] He won the gold when he defeated Norway's Bartosz Piasecki 15–10 in the men's épée final, winning Venezuela's first ever fencing medal, and Latin America 's first Olympic gold medal in épée in 108 years, after Ramón Fonst won the event in 1904.[4]
Limardo earned Venezuela's second gold medal in any Olympic Games with the first being at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games when Francisco Rodríguez won gold as a boxer in the light flyweight division.[5]
He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the individual épée and the team épée competition. In the individual event, he was defeated by Ayman Mohamed Fayez of Egypt during the round of 32.[6] He was the flagbearer for Venezuela during the opening ceremony.[7]
Fencing background
Limardo began fencing at the age of seven, encouraged by an uncle who had discovered the sport in Hungary.[8] He was originally a right-handed foil fencer before injury caused him to switch both hand and weapon.[8]
He was awarded the Venezuelan Order of the Liberator after winning his gold medal at the London Olympic Games. President Hugo Chávez also presented him with a gold replica of Simon Bolivar 's sword encrusted with precious stones.[9]
His brother Jesús Limardo also competes in fencing competitions. He has been a member of Piast Gliwice fencing club and currently resides in Łódź , Poland.[10] [11]
Medal record
Olympic Games
World Championship
Pan American Championship
Year
Location
Event
Position
2007
Montreal , Canada
Team Men's Épée
2nd[15]
2008
Querétaro , Mexico
Individual Men's Épée
2nd[16]
2009
San Salvador , El Salvador
Individual Men's Épée
1st[17]
2009
San Salvador , El Salvador
Team Men's Épée
1st[18]
2011
Reno , Nevada
Individual Men's Épée
2nd[19]
2011
Reno , Nevada
Team Men's Épée
3rd[20]
2012
Cancún , Mexico
Individual Men's Épée
2nd[21]
2012
Cancún , Mexico
Team Men's Épée
1st[22]
2013
Cartagena , Colombia
Individual Men's Épée
3rd[23]
2013
Cartagena , Colombia
Team Men's Épée
1st[24]
2015
Santiago , Chile
Individual Men's Épée
1st[25]
2015
Santiago , Chile
Team Men's Épée
2nd[26]
2016
Panama City , Panama
Team Men's Épée
1st[27]
2017
Montreal , Canada
Individual Men's Épée
1st[28]
2017
Montreal , Canada
Team Men's Épée
1st[29]
2018
Havana , Cuba
Individual Men's Épée
2nd[30]
2018
Havana , Cuba
Team Men's Épée
2nd[31]
2019
Toronto , Canada
Individual Men's Épée
1st[32]
2022
Asunción , Paraguay
Individual Men's Épée
1st[33]
2022
Asunción , Paraguay
Team Men's Épée
1st[34]
Grand Prix
World Cup
References
External links