Ilona Elek

Foil. Elek won Olympic individual foil gold in 1936 and, after the war cancelled two Games, again in 1948, then silver in 1952 aged 45. Women fenced only foil at the Olympics until 1996, and her career shows the classical foil game at its best: patient preparation, tight parries and a counterattack timed to win the right of way. Her longevity across a 16-year gap is extraordinary.