As the Olympic fencing events head into the final day of individual competitions, an intense showdown is expected for the remaining medals in women's sabre and men's foil.

France’s rivalry with Italy will be at its peak in the men's individual foil event, with Enzo Lefort of France looking for his first Olympic medal against a stacked Italian roster. Team USA is not to be forgotten, though. Nick Itkin, Alexander Massialas, and Gerek Meinhardt, who won bronze in the Olympic team event three years ago, will be returning. Here's what to expect.

The retirement of the defending Olympic gold and silver medalists opens up an opportunity for four-time Olympic medalist Olga Kharlan of Ukraine to win a fifth medal after being shut out in Tokyo. Kharlan is coming into Paris as world No. 7 after an intense qualification period in which she was disqualified from the 2023 World Fencing Championships for not shaking hands with Russian neutral athlete competitor Anna Smirnova.

A wealth of talent has risen through the rankings since the Tokyo Games. After placing 14th in Tokyo, world-ranked No. 1 Misaki Emura of Japan has become a two-time world champion and is the gold medal favorite. France’s Sara Balzer, who only competed in the Olympic team event three years ago, is also expected to win a medal.

Theodora Gkountoura could win Greece’s first Olympic fencing medals in almost 130 years. She's won two World Cup medals in the past year.

Bulgarian Yoana Ilieva is an outside medal contender after a surprise win at the European Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Ilieva has not placed on the podium at any competition since.

Americans Elizabeth Tartakovsky, Magda Skarbonkiewicz, and Tatiana Nazlymov will be competing.

Itkin is the favorite in this event. The world-ranked No. 2 has won two world championship medals and is in good company with teammates Massialas and Meinhardt. Massialas is the Olympic silver medalist from Rio and placed third at the Pan American Games in June. Paris is Meinhardt’s fifth Olympics. His wife, Lee Kiefer, successfully defended her Olympic gold medal in the women's individual foil event on July 28.

Lefort may benefit from competing on home soil. He has never made the semifinals in this event at his past three Games despite being the 2019 and 2022 world champion and winning two Grand Prix events this year.

Tommaso Marini is Italy’s best shot at a medal. The world No. 1 is making his Olympic debut in Paris fresh off of a win at the European Fencing Championships in June. His fellow countrymen, Filippo Macchi and Guillaume Bianchi are also likely to finish on the podium.

Defending Olympic gold medalist Cheung Ka Long is aiming to earn a second gold medal in this event. He’s won two Grand Prix events this year.