Italy narrowly outscored Russia 45-44 to claim bronze medal on Sunday at the men's sabre team event of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The Russians first got the match point with a 44-43 lead, but Italy's Aldo Montano leveled the score at the critical moment and managed the winning hit. Montano contributed the highest of 17 points to the victory.

"Of course I'm not happy with this. It's a pity that we didn't win a medal," said Russian fencer Stanislav Pozdnyakov.

Talking about the defeat to Italy in the bronze medal match and to the United States in the semifinal, Pozdnyakov said, "I'm no longer young so I'm relatively weak in speed and strength. By the end of the match, I feel tired."

France and the United States are competing for the gold medal.

(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2008)