Rubén Limardo Explained

Ruben Limardo
Birth Date:	3 August 1985
Birth Place:	Ciudad Bolívar, Bolívar, Venezuela
Club:	Piast Gliwice
Height:	175 cm
Weight:	75 kg
Weapon:	Épée
Fieranking:	current ranking

Rubén Dario Limardo Gascón (born 3 August 1985) is a Venezuelan left-handed épée fencer, five-time team Pan American champion, four-time individual Pan American champion, three-time Olympian, and 2012 individual Olympic champion.^[1]

Limardo competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

His younger brother, Francisco, also competes in fencing on the international level. In 2015 he was elected to the National Assembly for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

Olympics

Born in Ciudad Bolívar, Limardo competed for his native country in the 2008 Olympics épée competition, placing 23rd.

Limardo competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London winning a gold medal in the individual épée event at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre on 1 August, two days before his 27th birthday.^[2] He won the gold when he defeated Norway's Bartosz Piasecki 15–10 in the men's épée final, winning Venezuela's first ever fencing medal, and Latin America's first Olympic gold medal in épée in 108 years, after Ramón Fonst won the event in 1904.^[3]

Limardo earned Venezuela's second gold medal in any Olympic Games with the first being at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games when Francisco Rodríguez won gold as a boxer in the light flyweight division.^[4]

He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the individual épée and the team épée competition. In the individual event, he was defeated by Ayman Mohamed Fayez of Egypt during the round of 32.^[5] He was the flagbearer for Venezuela during the opening ceremony.^[6]

Fencing background

Limardo began fencing at the age of seven, encouraged by an uncle who had discovered the sport in Hungary.^[7] He was originally a right-handed foil fencer before injury caused him to switch both hand and weapon.

He was awarded the Venezuelan Order of the Liberator after winning his gold medal at the London Olympic Games. President Hugo Chávez also presented him with a gold replica of Simon Bolivar's sword encrusted with precious stones.^[8]

His brother Jesús Limardo also competes in fencing competitions. He has been a member of Piast Gliwice fencing club and currently resides in Łódź, Poland.^{[9] [10]}

Medal record

World Championship

Year	Location	Event	Position
2013	Budapest, Hungary	Individual Men's Épée	2nd^[12]
2018	Wuxi, China	Individual Men's Épée	2nd^[13]

Pan American Championship

Year	Location	Event	Position
2007	Montreal, Canada	Team Men's Épée	2nd^[14]
2008	Querétaro, Mexico	Individual Men's Épée	2nd^[15]
2009	San Salvador, El Salvador	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[16]
2009	San Salvador, El Salvador	Team Men's Épée	1st^[17]
2011	Reno, Nevada	Individual Men's Épée	2nd^[18]
2011	Reno, Nevada	Team Men's Épée	3rd^[19]
2012	Cancún, Mexico	Individual Men's Épée	2nd^[20]
2012	Cancún, Mexico	Team Men's Épée	1st^[21]
2013	Cartagena, Colombia	Individual Men's Épée	3rd^[22]
2013	Cartagena, Colombia	Team Men's Épée	1st^[23]
2015	Santiago, Chile	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[24]
2015	Santiago, Chile	Team Men's Épée	2nd^[25]
2016	Panama City, Panama	Team Men's Épée	1st^[26]
2017	Montreal, Canada	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[27]
2017	Montreal, Canada	Team Men's Épée	1st^[28]
2018	Havana, Cuba	Individual Men's Épée	2nd^[29]
2018	Havana, Cuba	Team Men's Épée	2nd^[30]
2019	Toronto, Canada	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[31]
2022	Asunción, Paraguay	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[32]
2022	Asunción, Paraguay	Team Men's Épée	1st^[33]

Grand Prix

Date	Location	Event	Position
2007-06-01	Montreal, Canada	Individual Men's Épée	3rd^[34]
2011-02-11	Doha, Qatar	Individual Men's Épée	3rd^[35]
2022-03-04	Budapest, Hungary	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[36]

World Cup

Date	Location	Event	Position
2006-06-23	Bogotá, Colombia	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[37]
2009-06-20	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[38]
2010-02-27	Bern, Switzerland	Individual Men's Épée	3rd^[39]
2010-05-07	Paris, France	Individual Men's Épée	2nd^[40]
2011-03-18	Paris, France	Individual Men's Épée	3rd^[41]
2013-05-24	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[42]
2015-02-13	Vancouver, Canada	Individual Men's Épée	3rd^[43]
2020-02-07	Vancouver, Canada	Individual Men's Épée	3rd^[44]
2021-11-19	Bern, Switzerland	Individual Men's Épée	1st^[45]

Notes and References

1. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
2. Web site: London Olympics: Venezuela win first gold since 1968. The Times of India. 2 August 2012. 2 August 2012.
3. Web site: Venezuela wins first gold since 1968. Reuters. 1 August 2012. 2 August 2012.
4. Web site: Fencer Ruben Limardo returns to hero's welcome in Venezuela . . 7 August 2012 . 20 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120817001621/http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/fencing/fencer-ruben-limardo-returns-to-heros-welcome-in-venezuela.html . 17 August 2012 .
5. Web site: Rio 2016 . Rio 2016 . 27 August 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160826101729/https://www.rio2016.com/en/fencing-standings-fe-mens-epee-individual . 26 August 2016 .
6. Web site: The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony. 16 August 2016. 27 August 2016.
7. Web site: Ruben Limardo Biography. 18 December 2015. fie.org. FIE.
8. News: Chavez gives symbolic sword to Venezuela fencer. 7 August 2012. NewsOK. en-US. 20 January 2017. Associated Press.
9. News: Szpadzista Piasta Gliwice Mistrzem Olimpijskim! . 12 November 2020.
10. News: Kryzys i pandemia. Mistrz olimpijski z Londynu, Ruben Limardo, rozwozi jedzenie... w Łodzi . 12 November 2020.
11. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
12. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
13. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
14. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
15. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
16. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
17. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
18. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
19. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
20. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
21. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
22. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
23. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
24. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
25. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
26. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
27. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
28. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
29. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
30. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
31. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
32. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website . 16 June 2022 . INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
33. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website . 19 June 2022 . INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
34. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
35. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
36. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website . 7 March 2022 . INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
37. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
38. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
39. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
40. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
41. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
42. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
43. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
44. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 24 April 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.
45. Web site: INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website. 21 November 2021. INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION – The International Fencing Federation official website.