Jerzy PAWLOWSKI

After three silver medals and a bronze, Jerzy Pawłowski won gold at the 1968 Olympics. He beat world champion Mark Rakita (URS) in the final of the individual sabre competition. Yet, a decade later, his name was not to be found in Polish sports books. In 1976, Pawłowski was tried for being a spy, and convicted of 25 years in prison. A major in the Polish army, he had been working for the American CIA under the code name Paweł since 1964. However, he was in fact a double agent, working for the Polish security service since 1950. Being considered a traitor, his name was erased from sports history in Poland. He was released in 1985 as part of a prisoner exchange between the Cold War powers. Remarkably, he chose to remain in Poland and died there in 2005.