Allan Jay

Allan Jay M.B.E. (born June 30, 1931, in London, England) was a British foil and epee fencer.

One of the greatest fencers in British history, Jay competed in five Olympiads in both épée and foil, winning two medals.

Fencing career

National championships

Jay was the Great Britain épée champion in 1952, and from 1959-61.

He was the country's foil champion in 1963.

Commonwealth Games

At the Commonwealth Games, he won the bronze medal in individual foil in 1954, [http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:fsARdXAtbZcJ:www.arikah.com/encyclopedia/1954_British_Empire_and_Commonwealth_Games+%22allan+jay%22+epee&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=40&gl=us] the silver medal in 1962, [http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:BKKzketSvuYJ:www.informationhunting.com/1962_British_Empire_and_Commonwealth_Games+%22allan+jay%22+epee&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=58&gl=us] and the gold medal in 1966.

He also won the gold medal at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in the team foil event.

He won the bronze medal in individual épée in the 1958 Games. [http://www.gbrathletics.com/commonwealth/fencing.htm]

World Championships

Jay won silver medals in individual épée at the 1959 World Championships, a bronze medal in individual foil at the 1957 World Championships, and a gold medal in individual foil at the 1959 World Championships. [http://sports123.com/fen/mw-ep.html] [http://sports123.com/fen/mw-fo.html]

Olympics

His first Olympic appearance occurred in 1952 (at the age of 21) at the Helsinki Games, where he competed exclusively in the épée events. The British team reached the 2nd round, while Jay reached the semifinals in the individual competition.

Jay returned to the Olympics in 1956 at the Melbourne Games, and competed in both épée and foil. In the final pool of individual foil, Jay won 4 of his 7 matches and finished in 4th place. In team foil, Jay and the British team finished in 5th place. During the Games, Jay was also a member of the British épée team (he did not compete in the individual event). In the final pool, the British team finished 4th after losing to Hungary, Italy, and France.

Jay went to his third Olympiad in 1960 at the Rome Games, competing in four events. He won a silver medal in team épée. In the individual épée competition, Jay finished 2nd to capture another silver medal. In the foil events, Jay and the British finished tied for 5th place. In individual foil, he won his 1st-round pool, but did not advance past the quarterfinals.

His two silver medals caused the 1960 Official Report of the British Olympic Association to state: "Our outstanding fencer, of course, was Jay who, although he failed to reach the foil final owing to cramp and exhaustion, never lost a bout in the team foil event, was second in the épée individual (losing the title by one hit!) and was the architect of our épée team's success."

Jay's fourth Olympiad was the 1964 Tokyo Games, where he again competed in both épée and foil. In team foil, Jay and his British teammates lost in the 1st round. In the individual event, Jay reached the 3rd round before losing to bronze medalist Daniel Revenu of France. In the épée events, Jay was eliminated in the 2nd round in both competitions.

World Championships

No fencer in modern times has won 2 titles at the same World Championships or Olympic Games, but Jay nearly did.

In 1959, he won the World Championships’ Individual Foil title, and tied for 1st place in the Individual Épée event. However, he lost a barrage 4-5, and had to settle for a silver medal in Individual Épée. He was the first fencer to finish 1st and 2nd in 2 weapons with electrical judging, and only 4th all-time.

At other World Championships competitions, Jay took a bronze in Team Foil in 1955, and the 1957 bronze in Individual Foil. He was a silver medalist in 1965 in Team Épée.

Maccabiah Games

Jay, who is Jewish, fenced in both the foil and épée events at the 1950 and 1953 Maccabiah Games in Israel, capturing 6 gold medals.

enior fencing

Jay remained dedicated to fencing after his international career ended. A graduate of Oxford University, he led a contingent of former Oxford fencing stars against the 2001 team, and the "Old Blues" defeated Oxford's Blues. [http://www.oxfordstudent.com/tt1999wk4/Sport/champs_foiled]

FIE

Jay is a member of the FIE (Fédération Internationale d'Escrime or International Fencing Federation) Disciplinary Commission.

Hall of Fame

Jay was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Links

* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=JAYALL01 Olympic statistics]
* [http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:cqAg5EG3IgcJ:www.allcompetitions.com/fen_og1.htm+%22allan+jay%22+epee&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=26&gl=us Olympic results]
* [http://www.gbrathletics.com/commonwealth/fencing.htm Commonwealth Games medals]
* [http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/AllanJay.htm Jewish Sports bio]
* [http://www.jewsinsports.org/olympics.asp?ID=43 Jews in Sports bio]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=lvszXWxqAR4C&pg=RA1-PA75&lpg=RA1-PA75&dq=%22allan+jay%22+gold+-kellogg&source=web&ots=37a9MwgA0Z&sig=5A_0Gg9L-f3lXr9KdcPkJsCIQJ8 Jewish Sports Legends bio]