Mark Rakita

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Olympic medalist
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Mark Rakita
Medal record
Competitor for the Flag of Soviet Union Soviet Union
Men's fencing
Gold 1964 Tokyo Sabre Team
Gold 1968 Mexico City Sabre Team
Silver 1968 Mexico City Sabre Individual
Silver 1972 Munich Sabre Team

Mark Semenovich Rakita (Russian: Марк Семенович Ракита; born July 22, 1938, in Moscow, USSR) is a famed Russian sabreur and coach from the Soviet era.

Contents

[edit] Fencing career

Rakita started fencing at 14. He practiced daily for between three - six hours a day.[1] 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] Olympics

One of the best sabre fencers in the world in the 1960s, Rakita competed in 3 Olympiads for the Soviet Union.

At the 1964 Tokyo Games, he competed in both the individual and team events, and helped the Soviets capture the gold medal in the team competition (one of his teammates was Yakov Rylsky). In the individual sabre, Rakita was eliminated from the competition in the 3rd round by eventual gold medalist Tibor Pezsa (10-6).

Four years later at the 1968 Mexico City Games, Rakita returned to the Olympics and again competed in the individual and team sabre events. In the individual competition he captured the silver medal. In the team competition, the Soviets repeated as champions by defeating the Italians for the gold medal.

Rakita's final Olympic appearance occurred in 1972 at the Munich Games when he won his 4th Olympic medal. Competing exclusively in the team event, Rakita took the silver medal; one of his teammates in 1968 and 1972 was Eduard Vinokurov.

[edit] World Championships

  • 1967 Individual Sabre (Gold)
  • 1967 Team Sabre (Gold)
  • 1971 Individual Sabre (Silver)

[edit] Coaching career

After he stopped fencing, he spent 17 years coaching the country’s up-and-coming talent, helping four Russians to Olympic medals.[3]

[edit] Hall of Fame

In 1988 Rakita, who is Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[4]

[edit] References

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