Jozef Benedik (10 March 1898 – 11 October 1977) was a Slovak fencer. He competed in the

individual An individual is that which exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of being an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) of being a person unique from other people and possessing one's own Maslow ...

and team sabre events at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

Biography

He was born in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

and, as a young soldier of the Austro-Hungarian Army, graduated from a cadet school in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. He later came as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the

Czechoslovak army The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: Československá armáda) was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In the fi ...

to serve in Levoča, Slovakia. He soon became a stable and inseparable part of the ŠOD Levoča club. He became a two-time champion of Czechoslovakia in the sabre in 1929 and 1930. In the following years he was a regular participant and finalist of the Czechoslovak Championships. His biggest rivals in the sabre at many championships, including the republican ones, were another Slovak Tibor Klein, from the competing club KAC Košice and Josef Jungmann from Bohemia. He was part of the Czechoslovak team, At the

Olympic Games in Berlin The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

, a team consisting of Jungmann, Benedik, von Friedenfeldt, Kirchmann and Hildebrand ended up in the second round in the team competition in the sabre. He also fenced the individual competition in the sabre, but like the Czechoslovak team, he was eliminated in the 2nd round. In 1939 he acquired Slovak citizenship. In the years 1939-1944, during the First Slovak Republic, he was the chairman of the Slovak Fencing Association (In Slovak: Slovenský šermovnícky zväz). As an officer of the Slovak Army, he took part in the war with Poland during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and also in the war against Soviet Union, for which he was also awarded. After the war, he was promoted to colonel of the restored

Czechoslovak Army The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: Československá armáda) was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In the fi ...

(1947), but retired two years later in 1949. Later he lived in Nitra and trained young Slovak fencers.

International competitions

National titles

Czechoslovak Fencing Championships: *1929

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

: (Sabre) *1930 Prague: (Sabre) *1934 Prague: (Sabre) *1935 Prague: (Sabre) *1936 Prague: (Sabre) Dr. Gádor Memorial: *1929

Košice Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...

: 4th (Sabre) Dr. Heil Cup *1929 Košice: (Team) Tatra Fencing Tournament: *1929

Piešťany Piešťany (; german: Pistyan, hu, Pöstyén, pl, Pieszczany , cs, Píšťany ) is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its own district. It is the biggest and best kno ...

: (Sabre)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benedik, Jozef 1898 births 1977 deaths Slovak male sabre fencers Czechoslovak male sabre fencers Fencers Olympic fencers for Czechoslovakia Fencers at the 1936 Summer Olympics People from Veselí nad Moravou Sportspeople from the South Moravian Region