Ramón Fonst Segundo

Known as "el Zurdo" or "El nunca Segundo", cataloged as the best Cuban fencer of all time, he also practiced other sports disciplines.

Champion of Foil of the European nation at eleven years of age, first Latin American to win a medal at the Olympic Games in the year 1900.

He is the Latin American with the most Olympic awards. Still very young, in the brief span of one year, he wins 64 medals, 44 of them in pistol shooting, and the rest in sword tournaments and cycling. Throughout his career he accumulated one hundred fifty fencing awards and about thirty in sport shooting (pistol and revolver), French boxing and cycling.

He was born in La Habana, left-handed, with a good physique for sports practice, he was tall, with long arms, which allowed him good reach, strength and endurance.

He spent his childhood, adolescence and much of his youth in France, where he had good fencing teachers. He obtains the title of foil champion of the European nation at eleven years of age, first Latin American to win medals at the Olympic Games, by prevailing in sword and achieving second place in the professional event in París, in 1900, at that same date, at the age of 17 he wins the Olympic championship, despite the frank and potent hostility of the judges.

Few fencers have accumulated so many honors in the three modalities of this demanding activity: foil, sword and sabre.

He becomes champion at the Olympic Games in París.
He participates in the III Olympic Games of San Luis, United States in 1904 where he wins the individual titles in foil and sword, accompanied on that occasion by his compatriot Manuel Dionisio Díaz Delgado, who also wins the gold medal in the sabre specialty.

In 1915 he is invited to participate in the World Exposition held in the American city of San Francisco, California where he wins the titles in all three weapons –sabre, foil and sword-, which is why the local newspapers came to classify him as out of class by defeating more than 100 opponents according to reports from newspapers of the time.

As recognition he is proclaimed amateur fencing shooter "hors classe" or out of class, by the National Fencing Federation, which grants him from that moment on a place on the Cuba team without undergoing eliminations. He never strayed from training.
In 1924, again in París at the age of 41, he competed again on the Olympic stage and advanced to the quarterfinals.

In 1926 the I Central American and Caribbean Games are held in Ciudad México, he wins in all three individual events and was 47 years old when in La Habana he prevailed in foil and sword, without being touched in 25 bouts.
He steps on the awards podium at the age of 55, at the IV Central American and Caribbean Games, held in Ciudad de Panamá, where he won gold and silver medals as a member of the sword and foil teams, respectively, this being his farewell as an active athlete.

Relevant Results
Individual International Sword Championship (156 shooters) from May 1 to May 8. First place.
Poule of the Sword Academy, May 15, 1904. First place.
Poule of Honor of the Sword Fencing Circle, May 28. First place, Ramón Fonst. Was not touched.
Elimination and final Poule of "La vie au grand air". First place, was only touched once.
Madrid Tournament. Six bouts without being touched with the most respected Spanish champions, at the Apolo theater.
Poule of Honor of the Anjou Circle. First place, was only touched once.
Gala Poule of the Sword Academy. First place.
Ostende Tournament, Belgium, as also reflected in the book As de Espada, by Cuban journalist and former fencer Irene Forbes, a work that received the Award in the National Biography Competition in 1998.
Central American and Caribbean Games in México in 1926, he annexed the gold medals in the individual events of all three weapons and in the second edition of this regional classic held in La Habana four years later, he almost repeated the feat, but failed in sabre due to an ankle injury. On that occasion he participated in 25 consecutive bouts without being touched a single time, thus surpassing his own world record of 24 consecutive bouts set in 1904.
He remained active until the IV Central American and Caribbean Games in Panamá in 1938, when he was the oldest.
Documents related to decorations that have been imposed on him have been found, such as Knight of the French Legion of Honor, the Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Order of Military Merit of 1928 and the Order of Sports Merit. In his honor, the Amateur Fencing Federation of Cuba created the Order of Merit in Fencing "Ramón Fonst".
He was a true world champion in the specialty of fencing, in addition to being an example of chivalry and a source of pride for Sports in Cuba and in Latin America, until he died in the capital of Cuba on September 10, 1959, leaving a brilliant legacy as a Sports Glory.

In Cuba fencing championships are held to honor him and there are sports facilities that bear the name of this great athlete, such as the Ramón Fonst Multipurpose Hall located in front of the National Bus Terminal in Ciudad de La Habana.

He is still the Latin American with the most Olympic awards, not only did he prestige the world of fencing, he also practiced with success other disciplines such as the so-called French Boxing, Cycling and Shooting.

He remained active for 40 years, especially in fencing. Still very young, in the brief span of one year, he wins 64 medals, 44 of them in pistol shooting, and the rest in sword tournaments and cycling.

In total he managed to win one hundred fifty fencing awards and about thirty in pistol and revolver shooting, French boxing and cycling, for these achievements he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Cuban Sports.

Retirement from Active Sport
He retires from active sport when he still had good athletic form and had achieved outstanding results in Central American and Caribbean Games and in world championships.

Criteria in the Press of the Time
In the press there were many writings where they always reflected good criteria and anecdotes from the life of the first Cuban and Latin American Olympic champion. Among the newspapers, the Spanish ones stand out "El Heraldo de Madrid, where on April 22, 1904 he dedicates an article that shows the qualities of the athlete and that same year on June 3 in the newspaper "La Época" of Madrid he alludes to the National Tournament held at the Apolo theater. Later in the newspaper "Cuba Contemporánea" in La Habana, in July 1915 they publish a report on Fonst's triumph at the San Francisco exposition by winning three gold medals in sword, foil and sabre.