Vladimir Smirnov (fencer)
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Birth name | Влади́мир Ви́кторович Смирно́в | ||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Rubizhne, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | 20 May 1954||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 29 July 1982[1] Rome, Italy | (aged 28)||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 78 kg (172 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Fencing | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Foil and epee | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Vladimir Viktorovich Smirnov (Template:Lang-ru, Template:Lang-uk; 20 May 1954 – 29 July 1982) was a Ukrainian SSR Soviet foil and epee fencer. He was the 1980 Olympic champion in men's foil, and the 1981 world champion in men's foil.
Early life
Smirnov was born in Rubizhne, Ukrainian SSR, in the Soviet Union.[2]
Fencing career
At the 1979 Summer Universiade in Ciudad de México Smirnov won a gold medal in foil team, and a silver medal in individual foil.[3] At the 1981 Summer Universiade in București he won a gold medal in individual foil, and a silver medal in foil team.[3]
At the 1977 World Fencing Championships in Buenos Aires he won a bronze medal in foil team, and at the 1978 World Fencing Championships in Hamburg Smirnov again won a bronze medal in foil team.[3] At the 1979 World Fencing Championships in Melbourne he won a gold medal in foil team, and at the 1981 World Fencing Championships in Clermont-Ferrand he won gold medals in both individual foil and foil team.[3] At the 1982 World Fencing Championships in Rome he was awarded the gold medal in foil team.[3]
Smirnov won the gold medal in individual men's foil at the 1980 Summer Olympics, as well as a silver medal in foil team and a bronze medal in epee team.[4][2]
Death
During the 1982 World Fencing Championships in Rome, Italy, in the team foil event the 28-year-old world champion Smirnov, ranked #1 in the world, was fencing 27-year-old Matthias Behr of West Germany, ranked #2 in the world, on 19 July in the quarter-finals of the team event.[5][6] The two fencers initiated a simultaneous attack.[5] Behr's foil blade broke during the action, and the jagged broken blade penetrated through the mesh of Smirnov's fencing mask, through his left eye orbit, and into the frontal lobe of his brain.[7][8][1][9]
An Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic spokesman said "Smirnov's heart is still functioning, but other bodily functions are being maintained by artificial means."[8] State-run television said he was "clinically dead".[8] A later communique from the hospital said he was in a deep coma, was not responding to treatment, and had no brain reflexes.[8]
Smirnov died nine days later.[10] He was buried in Kiev, Ukraine, where he had been living.[5]
Aftermath
Smirnov's accident was the driving force behind the significant improvement of safety gear in fencing.[5][11][12] Maraging steel blades (less likely to break than and instead of the carbon steel ones of the day),[13] kevlar (or other ballistic nylon) in the uniforms, and masks two to three times stronger than the one he wore, and other safety rules, all came about because of his death.[citation needed]
Forty years later, amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Behr called Smirnov's former wife in Ukraine, and gave her son-in-law and two grandchildren refuge during the war.[14]
References
- ^ a b "Soviet Fencer Dies of Injuries". The New York Times. July 29, 1982.
- ^ a b c d "Vladimir Viktorovich Smirnov Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b c d e "Vladimir Smirnov". Olympedia.
- ^ "Olympics Statistics: Vladimir Viktorovich Smirnov". databaseolympics.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-16. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ a b c d [1]
- ^ Richard Cohen (2007). By the Sword; A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions, pp. 296-97
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Fencer Hurt in Match". July 20, 1982 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ a b c d "Smirnov, champion fencer, on life support". UPI. July 21, 1982.
- ^ Nick Evangelista (1995). The Encyclopedia of the Sword, pp. 163-64.
- ^ "Soviet Fencer Dies of Injuries". The New York Times. July 29, 1982. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
- ^ "LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS: Tragic death 30 years ago still makes fencing safer". Taipei Times. June 27, 2012.
- ^ "Olympics-Fencing safety aided by death in the family," Reuters, June 25, 2012.
- ^ "Remembering Vladimir Smirnov". pressreader.com.
- ^ Josh Peter (July 28, 2022). "A tragedy transformed: 40 years after fencing accident, Ukraine war reunites impacted families". USA TODAY.
- 1954 births
- 1982 deaths
- Fencers at the 1980 Summer Olympics
- Fencers from Kyiv
- Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics
- Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union
- Olympic fencers for the Soviet Union
- Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union
- Olympic medalists in fencing
- Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union
- People from Rubizhne
- Soviet male épée fencers
- Ukrainian male épée fencers
- Ukrainian foil fencers
- Sport deaths in Italy
- Universiade medalists in fencing
- Universiade silver medalists for the Soviet Union
- Soviet male foil fencers
- Sportspeople from Luhansk Oblast
- Soviet Olympic medalist stubs
- Soviet fencing biography stubs
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