Cuba at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Cuba competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, which were held from 14 May to 28 October 1900. This edition of the games would be the first appearance for Cuba at any of the Olympic Games. The athlete delegation consisted of one singular athlete, fencer Ramón Fonst.

Cuba at the 1900 Summer Olympics
IOC code	CUB
NOC	Cuban Olympic Committee
in Paris, France
Competitors	1 in 1 sport and 2 events
Medals Ranked 12th	Gold 1 Silver 1 Bronze 0 Total 2
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1900 1904 1908–1920 1924 1928 1932–1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984–1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Fonst first competed in the men's épée over 14 days. He had qualified for each round, eventually reaching the finals. There, he defeated his opponent and won the gold medal. He would become the first Cuban and Latin American Olympic medalist. He also competed in the men's amateurs-masters épée, earning silver.

Background

The 1900 Summer Olympics were held in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. Cuba's appearance at these Games was it' first-ever appearance at the Summer Olympics. One athlete represented Cuba at the games, fencer Ramón Fonst. Fonst was born in Havana and moved to France while he was young. There, he began training in fencing.

Medalists

List of Cuban medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics

Medal	Name	Sport	Event	Date
Gold	Ramón Fonst	Fencing	Men's épée	June 14
Silver		Fencing	Men's amateurs-masters épée	June 15

Fencing

Fencing at the Games of the II Olympiad
Venue	Tuileries Garden
Dates	14 May – 27 June 1900
No. of events	7 (7 men, 0 women)
Competitors	260 from 19 nations
← 1896 1904 →

The fencing events were held at the Tuileries Garden. Fonst first competed in the men's épée for amateur competitors from 1 to 14 June. In the first round, he had placed first in his pool and qualified for the second round. At the quarterfinals, he had placed third in his pool and nearly missed qualification. He progressed further to the semifinals and once again placed third in his pool. During the finals, he had won four matches and lost two matches. In the final match of the finals, Fonst went up against Louis Perrée of France who had the same win-loss record. Fonst would eventually win the event and become the first Cuban and Latin American medalist at any edition of the games, both gold and overall.

Fonst would then go on to compete in the men's amateurs-masters épée the following day. He had a win-loss record of 6 wins and 1 loss, losing to Albert Ayat of France in one of his rounds.

Fencing summary

Athlete	Event	Round 1			Quarterfinals			Semifinals			Final
		MW	ML	Rank	MW	ML	Rank	MW	ML	Rank	MW	ML	Rank
Ramón Fonst	Men's épée			1Q			3Q			3Q	4	2
	Men's amateurs-masters épée	—									6	1