Iosif Vitebskiy

Iosif Davidovich Vitebskiy ( _ru. Иосиф Давидович Витебский; born January 9 1938, in Kiev) [ru icon [http://www.rusfencing.ru/history.php?act=&txt_id=1790 Profile at the Russian Fencing Federation] ] is a former Soviet Ukrainian fencer, and current US fencing coach.

Early life and fencing career

A graduate of the Kiev State University with a degree in physical culture and sport, Vitebskiy was a member of both the Soviet Union and Ukrainian national teams.

A 19-time national championship medalist — 10 gold, six silver, and three bronze medals — Vitebskiy was also a 3-time winner of both the Soviet Union and the Europe Cup tournaments.

He was a member of the USSR team that won 3 consecutive World Championships (1967-69), and earned a silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

During his fencing career, Vitebskiy trained at Dynamo in Kiev.cite book|title=All about Olympic Games.|author=Boris Khavin|publisher=Fizkultura i sport|edition = 2nd ed.|pages=p. 444|year=1979|location=Moscow|language=Russian]

In the summer of 1999, Vitebskiy won the gold medal in the Veteran 60 Men’s Épée at the Summer National Championships in Charlotte, N.C.

Coaching in Ukraine

He was head coach of the Ukraine Republic National Team for 13 years, where he guided 5 épée fencers to national and Olympic championships.

Vitebskiy then served for 10 years (1988-98) as the Director of the school for high sport achievements at the State University of Ukraine.

Coaching at the University of Pennsylvania

He has been assistant coach for 9 seasons, through 2007, at the University of Pennsylvania. [http://www.pennathletics.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=10615&SPID=607&DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=55920&Q_SEASON=2006]

In 1998-99, he helped guide the men’s team to its first Ivy League title since 1983, while the men’s and women’s teams combined for a 7th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Vitebskiy helped the 2003-04 women’s squad claim its 10th Ivy title and finish the season ranked 4th by the USFCA. Under his tutelage, the Quakers women’s team also made history at the Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA) championships at the end of February, claiming its first-ever IFA title in 2004.

He, along with Dave Micahnik, guided the 2005-06 Penn women to 3rd place in the Ivy League.

Personal life

Vitebskiy and his wife, Emma, reside in Philadelphia. They have two sons and a daughter: Dmitriy, Alex, and Louise.

References

Links

* [http://www.pennathletics.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=10615&SPID=607&DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=55920&Q_SEASON=2006 University of Pennsylvania link]
* [http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=5f5904a3-f009-41f9-9a80-40be1e64e704 Daily Pennsylvanian article]
* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=VITEBIOS01 Olympic record]