George Worth
Encyclopedia
George V. Worth was an American
sabre
fencer
.
fencing team at 4 Olympiads.
At the 1948 London Olympics, he participated in the team and individual events, winning a bronze medal
in the team competition. In the individual event, in the final, Worth finished in 5th place.
Worth returned to the Olympics in 1952 at the Helsinki
Games, and again competed in the team and individual events. The U.S. team (with fellow Jewish fencers, Norman Armitage
, Allan Kwartler
, and Alex Treves) defeated Switzerland
in the first round (9-2), Germany
in the second round (11-5), and Poland
in the semifinals (10-6). They advanced to the final round-robin
competition, but finished in 4th place. In the individual competition, Worth reached the quarterfinals.
At the 1956 Melbourne
Games, Worth made it to the semifinals in the individual sabre competition. In the team event, the U.S. was fortunate to receive a first-round bye (they did not draw an opponent), and automatically advanced to the semifinals, where they were elimimated after losing to Poland and Hungary in their pool.
Worth's final Olympic appearance was at the 1960 Rome
Games, where he competed exclusively in the team sabre event; the U.S. again finished in 4th place.
in Argentina.
He repeated those results at the 1955 Pan Am Games in Mexico.
At the 1959 Games in Chicago
, he again won a team gold, but came in 5th in the individual competition. At the Games he took the Pan American Games Oath for the U.S.A. during the opening ceremonies.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sabre
Sabre
The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...
fencer
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
.
US Championship
In 1954, Worth was the U.S. national sabre champion, and he was a 5-time medalist.Olympics
An excellent sabre fencer in the 1940s and 1950s, Worth, who was Jewish, competed for the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fencing team at 4 Olympiads.
At the 1948 London Olympics, he participated in the team and individual events, winning a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the team competition. In the individual event, in the final, Worth finished in 5th place.
Worth returned to the Olympics in 1952 at the Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
Games, and again competed in the team and individual events. The U.S. team (with fellow Jewish fencers, Norman Armitage
Norman Armitage
Norman Armitage , was an American saber fencer. He was tall, willowy, and sported a "little waxed moustache."-College:...
, Allan Kwartler
Allan Kwartler
Allan S. Kwartler , born in New York City, was an American sabre and foil fencer.He was Pan-American sabre champion, 3-time Olympian, and twice a member of sabre teams that earned 4th-place in Olympic Games .-Fencing career:Kwartler began fencing at Wayne State University under Bela de Tuscan at...
, and Alex Treves) defeated Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in the first round (9-2), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the second round (11-5), and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in the semifinals (10-6). They advanced to the final round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
competition, but finished in 4th place. In the individual competition, Worth reached the quarterfinals.
At the 1956 Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Games, Worth made it to the semifinals in the individual sabre competition. In the team event, the U.S. was fortunate to receive a first-round bye (they did not draw an opponent), and automatically advanced to the semifinals, where they were elimimated after losing to Poland and Hungary in their pool.
Worth's final Olympic appearance was at the 1960 Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
Games, where he competed exclusively in the team sabre event; the U.S. again finished in 4th place.
Pan American Games
Worth won the individual silver medal and the team gold medal in saber at the 1951 Pan American GamesPan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
in Argentina.
He repeated those results at the 1955 Pan Am Games in Mexico.
At the 1959 Games in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, he again won a team gold, but came in 5th in the individual competition. At the Games he took the Pan American Games Oath for the U.S.A. during the opening ceremonies.