Mark Rakita
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 July 1938 Moscow, Russia |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Fencing |
Medal record | |
Mark Semenovich Rakita (Template:Lang-ru; born July 22, 1938, in Moscow, USSR) is a famed Russian sabreur and coach from the Soviet era.
Fencing career
Rakita started fencing when he was 14. He would practice for three to six hours per day.[3] A 1969 graduate of The Daghestan State Pedagogical Institute, Rakita earned the title of Master of the Sport (Fencing) in 1964. He trained at the Armed Forces sports society.
World championships
Rakita was one of the Soviet Union's top sabre fencers in the 1960s. As a member of the Soviet National team, he won the world championship in the team sabre in 1965, 1967, 1969, and 1971.
Rakita was also the world champion in individual sabre in 1967, and finished second in 1970.[2]
Olympics
Rakita participated in three Olympic Games. At the 1964 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in team sabre and competed in the individual event. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, he won silver in the individual event and won gold in the team event. At the 1972 Summer Olympics, he competed in the team event, and won a silver medal.[4]
World championships
- 1967 Individual Sabre (Gold)
- 1967 Team Sabre (Gold)
- 1971 Individual Sabre (Silver)
Coaching career
Rakita coached the Russian fencing team for 17 years, and four of his students won Olympic medals.[3]
Hall of Fame
In 1988 Rakita, who is Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
Feud with Vladimir Nazlymov
In an interview in New York, Mark Rakita discussed his long-time feud with former friend/teammate turned nemesis Vladimir Nazlymov, stating, "As far as I'm concerned, he no longer exists!"[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Olympics Statistics: Mark Rakita". databaseolympics.com. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
- ^ "Mark Rakita Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
- ^ a b Sherwood, Andrew (18 October 2006). "TotallyJewish.com". TotallyJewish.com. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ "Rakita, Mark". Jews In Sports. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Interview (in Russian)
External links
- Jewish Sports bio
- Jewish Sports Legends bio
- International Jewish Hall of Fame bio
- "A Jewish Sporting Legend, 10/18/06
- 1938 births
- Living people
- Soviet fencers
- Jewish Russian sportspeople
- Jewish fencers
- Olympic fencers of the Soviet Union
- Fencers at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Fencers at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Fencers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union
- Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union
- Olympic medalists in fencing
- Sportspeople from Moscow
- Soviet Jews
- International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees
- Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Male fencers