Elaine Gayle Cheris (born January 8, 1946) is an American

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 ...

foil and épée fencer.

Early and personal life

Cheris was born in

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...

, and is Jewish. She earned a BS in Physical Education and Sports Psychology at

Troy University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...

, where she competed on the men's track team, in 1971. She married Sam David Cheris, a lawyer, in 1980.

Fencing career

Cheris began fencing at 29 years of age. She was working at the time as the assistant athletic director at a

Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social clubs, social, and Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, where she put together a fencing program and decided to try the sport. In 1979 she quit her job to train for the Olympic tryouts. Cheris qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, but did not compete due to the

U.S. Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...

's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. She was one of 461 athletes to receive a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

instead. She did compete for the United States in the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

in Seoul in foil at the age of 42 (she was knocked out by Italian silver medalist

Laura Chiesa Laura Chiesa (born 5 August 1971) is an Italian fencer. She won a silver medal in the women's team épée event at the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 a ...

, 15–13), and in the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta in épée at the age of 50 (the second-oldest female US Olympic fencer ever, after Maxine Mitchell). Cheris was an alternate in the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

in Sydney, having missed making the team by one touch. Cheris won an individual silver medal and a team gold medal at the

1981 Maccabiah Games The 11th Maccabiah Games brought 3,450 athletes to Israel from 35 nations. The Opening Ceremony was held on July 7, 1981, before a crowd of 53,000 and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Ramat Gan Stadium, with 3,500 Jewish athletes parading ...

. At the end of the 1985 season, she was the Number 1 US female foil fencer at age 39. She won a gold medal in team foil at the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas c ...

, and a gold medal in team épée at the 1991 Pan American Games. Cheris was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. In 1993, the

Fédération Internationale d'Escrime The ''Fédération Internationale d'Escrime'' ( en, International Fencing Federation), commonly known by the acronym FIE, is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. Today, its head office is at the Maison du Sport International ...

awarded her its Gold Medal of Honor. She founded the fencing club the Cheyenne Fencing Society and Modern Pentathlon Center of Denver in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Cheris has authored ''Fencing: Steps to Success'' (2002).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheris, Elaine 1946 births Living people American female épée fencers American female foil fencers Olympic fencers for the United States Fencers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Dothan, Alabama Congressional Gold Medal recipients American female sabre fencers Jewish American sportspeople Sportspeople from Denver Maccabiah Games medalists in fencing Maccabiah Games gold medalists for the United States Maccabiah Games silver medalists for the United States Competitors at the 1981 Maccabiah Games Fencers at the 1987 Pan American Games Fencers at the 1991 Pan American Games Pan American Games medalists in fencing Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Troy University alumni Writers from Denver Jewish women writers Jewish sportswomen American women sportswriters American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games