Iosif Davidovich Vitebskiy (russian: Иосиф Давидович Витебский; born January 9, 1938 in
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
) is a former
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
Olympic medalist and world champion épée
fencer, and current US fencing coach.
Early life
Vitebskiy was born in
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
,
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
,
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, and is Jewish. He attended
Kiev State University, where he studied
physical culture and sport.
Fencing career
During his fencing career, Vitebskiy trained at
Dynamo in Kiev.
He was a member of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
national teams, and won 19 medals in national championships (10 gold, 6 silver, and three bronze).
[">"Fencing coaches trace ties to '68 Games" , ''The Daily Pennsylvanian'']
/ref>["Iosif Viteskiy; 12th season; Kiev St. University,"]
Media Guide. He won several tournaments in Europe and the Soviet Union, and won in the team event at the World Fencing Championships in 1967, 1968, and 1969. He also won a silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...
in team épée at the 1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
in Mexico City at the age of 30.
Vitebskiy won the Veteran 60 Men’s Épée category at the Summer US National Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
in 1999.
Coaching
He was head coach of the Ukraine Republic National Team for 13 years, and then served for 10 years (1988–98) as the Director of the school for high sport achievements at the State University of Ukraine. He served for a dozen years as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
of the University of Pennsylvania Quakers fencing team.
Personal life
Vitebskiy and his wife, Emma have two sons, Dmitriy and Alex, and lived in Philadelphia.
See also
* List of select Jewish fencers
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitebskiy, Iosif
1938 births
Living people
Soviet male épée fencers
Ukrainian male épée fencers
Jewish Ukrainian sportspeople
Jewish male épée fencers
Olympic fencers of the Soviet Union
Fencers at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union
Olympic medalists in fencing
Dynamo sports society athletes
Sportspeople from Kyiv
Fencers from Philadelphia
Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics