David TYSHLER

Born in Ukraine to a Jewish family, Davyd Tyshler took up fencing in Moscow, where his family had fled during World War II. Besides his Olympic bronze medal, Tyshler also won the individual sabre silver at the 1958 World Championships, team sabre silvers at the 1957 and 1958 World Championships and team sabre bronzes at the 1955 and 1959 World Championships. Tyshler was also the Soviet individual sabre champion in 1960 and team sabre champion in 1953, 1954, 1956, 1958 and 1959.

After finishing his sporting career, Tyshler worked as a fencing coach. From 1961-73 he was head coach of the Soviet national sabre team and his most famous pupils were Viktor Krovopuskov, Mark Midler, Mark Rakita, Viktor Sidyak and Viktor Bazhenov. A graduate of Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism, Tyshler received a PhD degree in pedagogy in 1983 and beginning in 1984 worked as a professor in the fencing and modern pentathlon department at his alma mater.

Tyshler wrote more than 170 scientific papers and more than 30 textbooks about fencing, which have been translated into English, Spanish, German, French, Polish, Romanian and Chinese. Tyshler also staged the fencing scenes in many Moscow theaters and also in such Soviet movies as “The Very Same Münchhausen” (1979), “How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor” (1978), “31 June” (1978) and many others. His son Gennady also became a internationally renowned fencing coach and his daughter-in-law Natalia Tyshler competed at the 2004 Olympics, representing South Africa.