Keeth Thomas Smart
''The New York Times'', 27 May 2007. (born July 29, 1978) is a US

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

fencer who became the first American to gain the sport's top ranking for males. He was awarded a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Early life and education

Smart was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and grew up in Flatbush,

, New York City.Olivesi, Marine
"'Three Musketeers' from Flatbush say goodbye to high-level fencing"
''The Columbia Journalist'', 14 September 2008. His parents were Thomas R. Smart Jr. (a production manager and later an economist) and Liz Smart (a teacher). At the urging of his parents, he and his younger sister Erinn began to learn fencing at the

Peter Westbrook Foundation Peter Jonathan Westbrook (born April 16, 1952) is an American former sabre fencing champion, active businessman and founder of the Peter Westbrook Foundation. A former U.S. champion and Olympic medalist, Westbrook's career began when his Japanes ...

, whose founder,

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 ...

sabre bronze-medalist

Peter Westbrook Peter Jonathan Westbrook (born April 16, 1952) is an American former sabre fencing champion, active businessman and founder of the Peter Westbrook Foundation. A former U.S. champion and Olympic medalist, Westbrook's career began when his Japanes ...

, was his mentor. Smart graduated from

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is an elite public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of th ...

in 1996.Profile
at US Fencing He graduated from St. John's University in New York, majoring in finance. He received his

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 2010 and now works as the Regional GM fo
Chelsea Piers Fitness
.

Fencing career

During college, he was the

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 ...

sabre champion in 1997 and 1999, and took second place in 2001. He was a member of the 1999

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

bronze medal team. He has competed in three

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

. In the individual Olympic men's sabre competition, he placed 30th in the

2000 Olympic Games 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 ...

, 15th in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, 4th in the team event, 6th in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, and he won the silver medal in the team event. His sister Erinn also earned a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics. In 2002 and 2004, Smart won the US national sabre championship. In 2003, he became the first American to be named the top-ranked fencer internationally.

Personal life

Keeth married Shyra (Cooper) Smart on May 27, 2007 in

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. They live in Brooklyn, NY with their two children. Keeth and his sister Erinn are actively involved in the Peter Westbrook Foundation in New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, Keeth 1978 births Living people St. John's University (New York City) alumni Columbia Business School alumni American male sabre fencers Fencers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in fencing Sportspeople from New York City African-American sportsmen Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Brooklyn Technical High School alumni Pan American Games medalists in fencing Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Fencers at the 1999 Pan American Games St. John's Red Storm fencers Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early life and education

Fencing career

Personal life

See also

References