REMEMBERING Vladimir Smirnov
Vladimir Smirnov, the Ukrainian born athlete, remembered as one of the best fencers in the world, if not the best still has his impact in the sport of Fencing. It’s been 34 years since the tragedy which shook the world. In a sport in which the Soviet Union was always very competitive, the Ukrainian born Vladimir Smirnov won three medals in three separate events at the 1980 Summer Olympics, held in Moscow (the ones the U.S. boycotted). Smirnov won a bronze medal for the Men’s team épée, a silver in the foil team, and the gold for the foil individual. (The “foil” and épée are two different types of swords; the foil is light and flexible, and the épée is heavier and with a thicker blade.)
The world saw Smirnov domination in world fencing, when he won the World Championship in 1981. Then returned to defend his title in the 1982 championships which was held in Rome.
So, going back to 1982, the early round of Smirnov VS 1976 Olympic gold medallist Matthias Behr of West Germany.
Well, Fencing is generally quite safe -competitors wear chest protectors, vests, gloves, and face masks, along with other safety equipment – still, this match resulted in a tragic accident. As the two world-class fencers were taking on each other, Behr lunged at Smirnov… and his sword broke down. Improbably, the broken, jagged, and thin blade penetrated the mesh of Smirnov’s face mask, and kept going. It punctured Smirnov’s eye socket, and the blade went into his brain.
With situation intense, match was called off immediately as Smirnov was in pain. Just nine days later, World saw the death of one of the only seven fencers who died as a result of injuries sustained in competition.
Later, his death saw more safety in this sport. Carbon steel blades, the one used in that unfortunate game got replaced with maraging steel blades, which are way much tougher and very less likely to break. And then, since the 1982 accident, there have been no deaths in high-level fencing.