The death that changed fencing. The Olympic champion died during the competition

Athletistic / Fencing. In Russia, many people enjoy watching fencing competitions, especially during the Summer Olympics. From comments on social networks, we know that people dream that the protective masks in this sport are transparent so that they can observe the facial expressions of the athletes. But there is a serious and valid reason why fencing equipment has remained conservative for over 40 years.

In 1982, the sports world was hit by tragic news: the Olympic champion of the 1980 Games in Moscow, Soviet fencer Vladimir Smirnov, died. A native of the town of Rubezhnoye (Ukrainian SSR) died a few days after a piece of enemy rapier pierced his eye and hit his brain. It was from this time that the rules for smelting blades were changed – the steel used for these was replaced from carbon by maraging steel. This has helped make it more durable and, as a result, it breaks less often from mechanical shock. Now all shooters compete in para-aramid fiber suits and, more importantly, their masks are made from more durable alloys.

Photo source: ROC press service

In Soviet history, only two athletes became Olympic champions in foil. One of them is Viktor Zhdanovich, and the second is Vladimir Smirnov. Before taking up fencing, Smirnov tried several sports: boxing, track and field, basketball and hockey. As a child, Vladimir’s character was extremely difficult, and he often found himself in various unpleasant situations. It is quite possible that it was for this reason that he was brought to the fencing section, where everything immediately began to work out for him.

At the age of 23, Smirnov for the first time became the champion of the USSR, and two years later, together with the national team, he won a gold medal in the team competitions at the World Championships. A year later, he was included in the bid for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Vladimir entered the first-ever Games in an invincible socialist country and was considered the Soviet foil’s main hope for victory. As a result, Vladimir Smirnov brought gold to the USSR national team in the individual foil tournament, defeating Frenchman Pascal Joliot in the final. However, in the team tournament, the French team sensationally defeated the Soviet shooters in the final and did not allow Smirny to become a double Olympic champion. At the 1980 Olympics, Smirnov managed to win another medal – bronze in the team epee fencing championship. It seemed that a new world sports star had appeared on Olympus.

Photo source: RIA Novosti

After the 1980 Games in Moscow, Smirnov won the 1980 and 1981 World Cups and also won two gold medals at the 1981 World Championships in Clermont-Ferrand (France). By 1982, Vladimir’s motivation had dropped significantly. He constantly sought to leave the training camp and go to kyiv, where his wife and children were waiting for him. There is a known case when before the world championship in Rome (Italy) the entire USSR national team had to undergo quarantine in Belarus, but Smirnov said that he was returning home to his wife and of his children. And, surprisingly, at that time the head coach of the national team, Alexander Perekalsky, let him spend a day in kyiv.

It is not clear why, but Vladimir was very nervous before the tournament in Rome. He constantly hesitated and tried to avoid a trip to the 1982 World Cup. Subsequently, his wife and teammates said that Smirnov gave reasons for refusal almost every day: either he declared that he did not feel Well, he was either complaining about the lack of a personal trainer, talking about family issues, or claiming he was just afraid of letting the team down. But he still went to Rome.

During this world championship, at the start of the foil tournament, his opponent was by chance the German Matthias Behr. Behr was Olympic champion at the 1976 Games in Montreal (Canada), but in 1982 he was not among the main favorites for the tournament. It was an ordinary duel, however, after one of Mattias’s blows on Vladimir’s shoulder, the rapier split in two, after which one of its parts, namely the tip, passed through the Smirnov’s protective mask and went straight into the left eye of the Soviet athlete, hitting the brain. As will be written later in the conclusion of the forensic examination, the blade penetrated deep into Vladimir’s face up to 14 centimeters.

Smirnov was quickly transported to a hospital in Rome, where he remained in a coma for more than a week. Italian doctors constantly fought for the life of the Soviet athlete, but all their efforts were in vain. When it became clear that Vladimir ultimately could not be saved, representatives of the Italian Ministry of Health offered to buy Smirnov’s organs. The Soviet delegation was so shocked by this proposal that it informed the leadership of the CPSU Central Committee. As a result, the USSR team refused such a bold offer.

Interestingly, Vladimir’s wife Emma did not even know about the tragedy, since it was customary to keep silent about bad news. They only suspected something serious when central news didn’t say a single word about her husband’s performance at a tournament in Rome. As a result, the last time she saw her husband was already in kyiv – in a coffin. Vladimir was buried at the Lukyanovskoye military cemetery.

Photo source: RIA Novosti

The legendary Soviet athlete’s life was cut short at the age of 28. His last rival, Matthias Behr, then opened a fund to help the Smirnov family, but the money ultimately never reached his wife and children. Of the financial support promised to Emma, ​​only seven rubles were transferred to her. Behr struggled with suicidal thoughts his entire life, put his career on hold for three years and constantly blamed himself for what happened. Only Emma Smirnova helped him during his first flight for Keev in 2017. Vladimir’s wife convinced the German that he was not guilty of anything. Together they visited Vladimir’s grave and talked about him at length.

The current equipment of shooters has proven its effectiveness: after the tragedy in Rome, no deaths were recorded during major competitions. In fact, Smirnov saved many shooters at the cost of his life.

Nikita Serbakov, Athletistic