Unfortunately, will not claim an individual medal during his first Olympic games.
At 8:20 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, during the fourth day of the 2012 London Olympics, the young, red-haired Brooklynite stepped on to the piste across from his opponent from Brazil for a bout during the Men’s Individual Foil.
Race Imboden, who is the youngest top-ranked fencer in the world, took his first victory in his first Olympic games on July 31, against Guilherme Toldo, a 19-year-old on the Brazilian team.
Imboden looked promising while he took the win with a 15-5 victory in the round of 32.
But at 9:40 a.m., during the round of 16, Imboden lost to Italy’s 26-year-old Andrea Baldini 15-9. Iboden’s loss eliminated him from the Men’s Individual Foil.
According to The Washington Post, after Imboden — who was ranked fifth in the games — lost to Baldini during his second Olympic bout, he said his opponent was "too good" for him to beat.
“I fenced really badly and he fenced excellently,” Imboden told The Washington Post. “He did what he always does and he drew me in. He fences at a really good distance and he was too good for me. He is definitely one of the best.”
After his losing bout, Imboden updated his Facebook page with a heartfelt message:
Today was not my Day. Baldini was fencing extremely well and all I can say is that he has always been a fencer that I look up to and have grown up watching. It has been a great year for me, coming as far as I have this year with my fencing has not only been a gift but also an honor to represent my country. I have learned a lot from my journey and it is far from over. This has been a great start of a legacy that I hope to someday leave. The support I have seen from the World for me and the sport I love has gone far beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of. Thank you guys so much because without you guys none of this is possible. I am far from satisfied with my result today but this will only drive me and I am already looking forward to getting back to training. Congratulations to El Sayed , Choi, and Lei. Now on to the Team event! #THANKYOU.
Click here for a slide show of Race Imboden on NBCOlympics.com.
The next time Imboden will compete is during the Men’s Team Foil on Sunday, Aug. 5 versus France at 5:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Submit words of support to Race Imboden in the comments section below.
