Smart Loses in Men's Saber

Keeth Smart, a native of Brooklyn, and former world number 1, lost yesterday in the men's saber competition. Since becoming #1 in 2003 - he has since slipped to 25th in the world - Smart has experienced immense pressure. As with all champions, opponents were looking to defeat him and take him down a notch. It was thought that without the expectations, Smart could return to form. Unfortunately for the Brooklynite, he lost in the round of 16 to Aldo Montano of Italy, 15-7. Montano went on to win gold in saber.

In the discipline of saber, a fencer can strike the body, arms, and head with any part of the sword. The legs and feet are not part of the target. The two other disciplines are foil and epée. In foil, one can only score with the tip of the foil on the body and in epée, the tip can strike any part of the body, including legs and feet, to score.