Anthony Buckie Leach (1958 – August 14, 2021) was an American

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

coach and fencer. He began fencing at age 12 and coaching at age 20. A coach for over 40 years, his students have found success on both the national and international levels. His success with the Rochester Fencing Center garnered worldwide attention. He was the first to produce an American

Fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

World Champion, and was an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

fencing coach in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2016, and 2020. He was inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in 2013. His fencers won over 20 medals in Junior and Senior World Cup events as well as numerous National and

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

championships. In 2021, his student

Lee Kiefer Lee Kiefer (born June 15, 1994) is an American right-handed foil fencer. Kiefer is a four-time NCAA champion, ten-time team Pan American champion, nine-time individual Pan American champion, and 2018 team world champion. A three-time Olympia ...

won the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, the first American to achieve this in Olympic

. His students include past Olympians

Felicia The name Felicia derives from the Latin adjective ''felix'', meaning "happy, lucky", though in the neuter plural form ''felicia'' it literally means "happy things" and often occurred in the phrase ''tempora felicia'', "happy times". The sense of ...

and

Iris Zimmermann Iris Zimmermann (born January 6, 1981) is an American fencer. She competed in the women's individual and team foil events at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and she won a bronze medal at the 1999 World Fencing Championships. Her sister is Felicia Zi ...

, and 2004 Olympian

Erinn Smart Erinn Smart (born January 12, 1980Erinn Smart
, USA Fencing. Accessed July 27, 2012.) is an American fen ...

. Felicia, Iris, and Erinn made up the team that captured bronze at the 2001 World Championships and just missed medaling at the 2000 Olympic Games with their 4th-place finish. During that time he was also the United States women's foil national coach. He created the Blackstar Coaching clinics, a teaching program for

coaches in the United States. He coached at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in Indiana for five seasons. Leach died in a motorcycle accident in

Potter County, Pennsylvania Potter County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,396, making it the fifth-least populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Coudersport. The county was created in 1804 and late ...

shortly after returning from coaching at the Tokyo Olympics on August 14, 2021. Despite wearing a helmet, he was thrown from his Ducati Supersport after hitting a deer and succumbed to injuries.

References

External links

US Fencing Media Resource

1958 births 2021 deaths American male fencers {{US-fencing-bio-stub