RIO de JANEIRO -- Alexander Massialas helped the U.S. win its first Olympic medal in team foil in 84 years on Friday. The Americans defeated Italy 45-31 -- to capture the bronze.
It was the second medal for Massialis, a senior from San Francisco and two-time NCAA foil champion. Last Sunday, he won a silver in individual foil, the first medal by an American fencer since 1984 and first sliver since 1932.
The American team of Massialas, Chamley-Watson Miles and Gerek Meinhardt trailed by eight points early in the match against Russia, before rallying for leads of 25-24, 39-38 and 40-39 in the first to 45 scoring format. However, Russia pulled away in the final bout.
In the quarterfinals, the U.S. scored a come-from-behind 45-37 victory against Egypt.
Massialas has one year of eligibility remaining at Stanford.
