September 12, 2005 Issue 127
	Spain's Inigo Montoya Wins Olympic Fencing Gold Originally posted 8/30/2004 Spain's Inigo Montoya, using his weaker left hand to keep things interesting, faces off against Ivar Gheorghitoaia of Romania in the men's inidividual sabre final ATHENS - Thanks to a controversial ploy on the last point of the men's individual sabre gold medal bout, Spaniard Inigo Montoya defeated Romania's Ivar Gheorghitoaia to win Spain's first ever Olympic fencing medal. "I win medal to avenge my father's death," said Montoya who, halfway through the gold medal final, revealed to Gheorghitoaia that he was not left-handed. "If I use my right hand," explained Montoya, "is over too quickly. Left hand his more sporting. But then, my opponent, he is very good. I have to switch." After switching to his right hand with the bout tied at seven points apiece, Montoya reeled off eight straight to win the gold. Event officials okayed the controversial move, saying that disallowing such a bold tactical maneuver would be "inconceivable." As viewers who tuned into NBC's Tuesday night coverage of the men's individual sabre final are acutely aware, Montoya overcame tremendous adversity to reach his Olympic dream. Inigo's father Diego Montoya, a Spanish blacksmith who specialized in making high-end swords for nobles, was murdered by a client in a dispute over payment when Inigo was only ten years old. Inigo challenged his father's murderer (whom Montoya claims had six fingers on his right hand) but, due to his youth and inexperience, was unable to avenge his father's death. To this day, Montoya's face bears scars from the encounter. "All my life, I am looking for this man," Montoya told reporters this week. "I train, I practice my entire life, so when I meet the six-fingered man, I say to him, 'Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.' I look for him here in Athens, and I do not find him. But I may as well win gold medal as long as I am here."
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