Zoltán Ozoray Schenker
Encyclopedia
Zoltán Ozoray Schenker (October 13, 1880 – August 25, 1966) was a Hungarian sabre
and foil
fencer
.
s, winning 3 medals.
Schenker first competed at the 1912 Stockholm
Games, and took the gold medal
in the team sabre event. In individual sabre, he reached the finals and finished in 4th place after winning 4 of 7 matches. Schenker also fenced in the individual foil competition, and won both his 1st- and 2nd-round pools, but was eliminated in the semifinals.
Schenker returned to the Olympics at the 1924 Paris Games, and fenced in 4 events. He won 2 medals in team competitions. In team foil, the Hungarian team easily captured the bronze medal
. In the team sabre, Schenker and Hungary won the silver medal (they lost to Italy for the gold). In the individual foil, Schenker was eliminated in his 1st-round. In the individual sabre, his stronger weapon, Schenker advanced to the finals and finished 4th overall. In the final pool, he won 4 of 7 matches, but lost to bronze medalist (and fellow Hungarian) János Garay
.
Schenker's final Olympiad was the Amsterdam
Games in 1928. Competing only in individual foil, Schenker advanced to the semifinals, where he was eliminated.
.
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...
and foil
Foil (fencing)
A foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. It is the most common weapon in terms of usage in competition, and is usually the choice for elementary classes for fencing in general.- Components:...
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...
.
Fencing career
Born in Váradszentmárton, Hungary, in the 1910s and 1920s Schenker was one of Hungary's top fencers when the country was known as the best fencing nation in the world.Olympics
He appeared in three OlympiadOlympiad
An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....
s, winning 3 medals.
Schenker first competed at the 1912 Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Games, and took the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the team sabre event. In individual sabre, he reached the finals and finished in 4th place after winning 4 of 7 matches. Schenker also fenced in the individual foil competition, and won both his 1st- and 2nd-round pools, but was eliminated in the semifinals.
Schenker returned to the Olympics at the 1924 Paris Games, and fenced in 4 events. He won 2 medals in team competitions. In team foil, the Hungarian team easily captured the 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 sabre, Schenker and Hungary won the silver medal (they lost to Italy for the gold). In the individual foil, Schenker was eliminated in his 1st-round. In the individual sabre, his stronger weapon, Schenker advanced to the finals and finished 4th overall. In the final pool, he won 4 of 7 matches, but lost to bronze medalist (and fellow Hungarian) János Garay
János Garay (fencer)
János Garay was a Hungarian fencer, and one of the best sabre fencers in the world in the 1920s....
.
Schenker's final Olympiad was the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
Games in 1928. Competing only in individual foil, Schenker advanced to the semifinals, where he was eliminated.
Writing
Schenker was also a well-known author on fencing. He wrote: "... a fencer must catch the moment when his opponent it totally or partially incapable of an action ... such favorable moments occur when the opponent executes badly thought-out purposeless blade movements or footwork, when his attention is distracted and his readiness for action is diminished. Such moments occur also when the opponent is, for example, preoccupied with planning the bout or is distressed by its unsuccessful course."http://www.jewsinsports.org/Olympics.asp?sport=olympics&ID=199 He died in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.