Fares Arfa will never forget his Olympic debut.
The Canadian fencer recorded a massive upset in the first round of men's individual sabre at the Paris Games, beating three-time reigning Olympic champion Aron Szilagyi of Hungary 15-8 on Saturday.
Arfa then advanced to the quarterfinals with a 15-8 win over Bolade Apithy of France before losing 15-13 to former world champion Oh Sang-uk of South Korea.
"It feels good," Arfa said after his win over Szilagyi, per the Canadian Olympic Committee. "I came prepared, I came ready to go. I didn't look at his name, closed my eyes. It doesn't matter who's in front of me, it's a fight first and foremost against myself. If I stay disciplined, follow the game plan, everything's going to work out and it did."
Arfa was ranked 27th in the 32-man field.
Canada has never won a medal in Olympic fencing.
The 29-year-old Arfa, from Laval, Que., won a bronze medal in individual competition at the Pan American Games last year. He was 55th in sabre at the world championships.
