Kong wiped away tears after she clinched the title, having held her nerve when she trailed 7-1 in the second period and with a passionate home crowd, including President Emmanuel Macron, urging Mallo-Breton on. 

Her gold emulates that of fellow fencer Cheung Ka Long in the men's foil in Tokyo three years ago and sailor Lee Lai Shan who won the women's sailboard title at Atlanta 1996.

"I just thought it was so embarrassing to lose like this. I was not using my brain. I still think I lost even after so many interviews," she said of fighting back from a six-point deficit.

United States First Lady Jill Biden and Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger, a day after celebrating his 81st birthday, were both in attendance earlier Saturday. The French president departed quickly to console Mallo-Breton so he missed the men's sabre title match which was won by South Korea's Oh Sang-uk.

Mallo-Breton had given the home crowd goosebumps during her progress to the final, not least when she was 13-10 down with 36 seconds remaining in her last-32 match. However, somehow she managed to defeat her crestfallen Ukrainian opponent Dzhoan Bezhura 14-13. In the final, though, the Frenchwoman found being in front and the weight of expectation too much and Kong was transformed after she had changed her epee.

"I was using the same epee through all my bouts but Auriane was my first left-handed opponent so I decided to use a different epee. I was out of solutions," said Kong.

Mallo-Breton held her lead until Kong levelled at 10-10 and then the contest became edgier. With neither wanting to make a fatal error, they ran the clock down with them tied at 12-12. Mallo-Breton realised the game was up as world number one Kong got the decisive touch in sudden death, the Frenchwoman turning her back and holding her head in her hands.

"That is the game. I think it was too easy at one point and she hung in there. However, it is a medal and one must be happy with that," said Mallo-Breton.

Mallo-Breton's medal is the first for France in the women's individual epee since the 2004 Games in Athens. Earlier, Hungary's Eszter Muhari took the bronze, beating Nelli Differt of Estonia 15-14 in an engrossing duel.

Oh won a highly entertaining men's sabre final contest with his Tunisian opponent Fares Ferjani, 15-11. The Tunisian kept at Oh throughout but the 27-year-old had enough in the locker to keep him at bay and add individual gold to the team title he won in Tokyo.

The bronze was won by Italy's Luigi Samele who collapsed to the floor as if it was gold and rose in tears to kiss the head of his Egyptian opponent Ziad Elsissy. Samele could have more reason for tears on Monday, when his girlfriend Olga Kharlan bids to win the one individual title she is lacking —Olympic sabre gold— for Ukraine.