Alexandr Romankov

Alexandr Romankov ( _ru. Александр Анатольевич Романьков) is a former fencer from Russia, who was born November 7, 1953 in the town of Korsakov on the island of Sakhalin (just north of Japan). One of the most successful Soviet fencers, he is also regarded by some as the greatest foilist of the 20th century. He trained at Dynamo in Minsk.

* A ten-time World Champion (1977, 1983 - individual; 1981, 1989 - team; 1974, 1979, 1982 - individual and team).
* A three-time winner of the World Cup.
* A seventeen-time Champion of the USSR.
* Awarded the title of Chevallier Feyerick by the FIE.
* Has coached the National teams of Australia, Belarus, and Korea.
* Featured in the 2004 Guinness Book of World Records.
* Coached for a few years at FAW, the Fencing Academy of Westchester, in Westchester New York.
* Known sometimes as the "Tsar of Fencing"

Biography

Champion. He was awarded with the "Orders of Friendship of Peoples", "Badge of Honor" and two Medals of Honor for Distinguished Service.

Alexander Romankov keeps a photo in the family album: a school gym in a small military community, located near Minsk, Sasha is 11 years old, he is proudly posing to the photographer along with other junior fencers. Two boys are set apart from the others, keeping their weapons higher than others. Those two boys were Kolya Alekhin and Sasha Romankov, who later became the Olympic Champions. In that photo Romankov holds the foil in his right hand. He did not dare to tell the coach that he was lefty, as at school he was severely reprimanded for writing with his left hand, so the future Champion had to perform his first fencing elements, holding the foil in his awkward right hand.

subway.

For many years Romankov was the best fencer in the world. Ten times he became the World Champion (among them, 5 times in the individual competitions), what was registered in the Guinness Book of Records and moreover, he has gained five Olympic awards. Romankov was a unique athlete, brilliantly performing in both, individual and team competitions, which is a rare quality for an athlete of such a high level.

Now Alexander Anatoliyevich is the President of Belarusian Fencing Federation.

References

The source of the article: [http://fencing-future.com/ "For Future of Fencing" International Charity Fund website]