RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - South Korean fencer Park Sang Young came from behind in the final seconds to snatch gold from a man twice his age, upsetting 41-year-old Hungarian Geza Imre to become the youngest Olympic epee champion in over a century.

The silver finish for Imre, who took bronze in 1996 before Park was a year old, made the Hungarian the oldest Olympic fencer to take an individual medal since 1952.

He came within a touch of winning it all, at 14-10, before the Korean, 20, scored five straight times to win his country's first Olympic gold in epee.

"I was the winner up until eight-and-a-half minutes into the bout and in the last 20 seconds he beat me," said third-ranked Imre. "The last four touches he changed his tactics and I couldn't do anything."

Park's top finishes to date had been two grand prix wins in 2014, and he was ranked 21st heading into the fencing competition at the Rio Games.

Top-ranked Gauthier Grumier lost to Imre in the semi-final, but beat Switzerland's Benjamin Steffen for bronze, securing a French medal after the country's fencers left the London Games empty-handed for the first time since 1960.

"It was a success," said Grumier, who took a lap around the arena after winning the bronze. "I am not the guy who lost two times today. I lost but I had the chance to win the medal, so I finished with a victory, which is really important for me."

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