Fencing preview: Chinese fencers aspire for Olympic gold after 24-year hiatus

By Tai Beiping BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- After a 24-year drought of Olympic fencing gold, China fencing team is gearing up for the saucy feast at the upcoming Beijing Games by fielding in hopefuls such as women epeeist Li Na and sabreur Tan Xue. In a sport dominated by European athletes, especially the French and Italians, fencers from emerging powers of China, South Korea, Switzerland and Japan find it difficult to challenge their traditional rivals of France, Italy, Germany, Russia and the United States. The last Olympic fencing gold China reaped was at the 1984 Los Angeles Games by women foilist Luan Jujie, while French and Italian players have respectively collected 111 and 106 medals in fencing -- one of only four sports that have been featured at every modern Olympic Games. For the Beijing Games, the French team is... [read full story]