Byron Lester Krieger (July 20, 1920 – November 8, 2015) was an American

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

and épée fencer. Krieger represented the United States in the Olympics in 1952 in Helsinki and 1956 in Melbourne, and in the

1951 Pan American Games The 1951 Pan American Games, officially known as I Pan American Games () and commonly known as Buenos Aires 1951, were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between February 25 and March 9, 1951. The Pan American Games' origins were at the Games of the ...

where he won two gold medals.

Early life

Krieger was born and raised in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, lived in Southfield as an adult, and was Jewish. He graduated from Northwestern High School, where he was a member of the school fencing club under the direction of his English teacher, Beatrice Merriam. The teacher encouraged the boy to start training at Salle de Tuscan Fencing Club.

Fencing career

At age 16 he became the youngest fencer to reach the State Championship finals, where he placed 3rd in foil. Krieger attended

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

, where de Tuscan coached. Krieger began fencing all 3 weapons, and captained the varsity team in 1940–42. He was Wayne State's first

Intercollegiate Fencing Association The Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA) was the oldest collegiate fencing conference in the United States. It was affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Membership In its final season, the IFA had 11 members. Corne ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

champion in foil in 1942. He was 62–7 in dual meets at WSU, including 30–0 in foil. He was named an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. Krieger established himself as a top-ranked fencer competing in an All Star Midwest team against Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and the U.S. Sectional teams. He also represented the United States in the British-American matches in Toronto, where he was undefeated in the U.S. victory. Krieger won

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

s in team foil and team sabre and the team silver in épée at the 1951

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He came in 6th in both the individual foil and sabre events. He fenced 113 bouts in 10 days—more than any fencer from any other country. Krieger was the only American to defeat the Argentine National Champion. In 1957 Krieger won the individual saber championship; a gold medal in the foil team (with Olympic teammate Al Axelrod), and a second place in individual foil at the

1957 Maccabiah Games Twenty-one countries sent 980 athletes to compete in the 1957 5th Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish athletics competition similar to the Olympics. The opening ceremony on September 15, 1957, was held in Ramat Gan Stadium, with athletes para ...

in Israel. He was the lone Michigan athlete to represent the United States at the Games. Krieger won 55 state and Midwest titles in all three fencing weapons, including all three weapons in the same year five times. Krieger competed twice for the United States at the Olympics. He competed in the team foil event at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

in Helsinki, reaching the quarterfinals. At the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

in Melbourne, at 36 years of age, he was eliminated in the opening round, and reached the final round in team foil with the American team, placing fourth. Krieger competed in the matches against France and Italy, and was the first American fencer to beat the French two-time Olympic champion

Christian d'Oriola Christian d'Oriola (3 October 1928 – 29 October 2007) was a French fencer. He was a cousin of the Olympic equestrian Pierre Jonquères d'Oriola. D'Oriola took part in the 1948, 1952, 1956, and 1960 Olympics, serving as the Olympic flag bea ...

. The entire USA Foil Fencing Team at the 1956 Olympics was Jewish, with the other Jewish fencers being

Daniel Bukantz Daniel Bukantz (December 4, 1917 – July 26, 2008) was an American four-time individual United States national foil fencing champion, Maccabiah Games individual foil champion, four-time Olympic fencer, fencing referee, and a dentist. He has bee ...

Albert Axelrod Albert "Albie" Axelrod (February 12, 1921 – February 24, 2004) was an American foil fencer. He was a five-time Olympian for the US, won a bronze medal at the 1960 Olympics, and was the only American men's foil fencer to reach the finals at th ...

Nathaniel Lubell Bennet Nathaniel Lubell (August 15, 1916 – September 17, 2006) was an American three-time Olympian fencer. Early and personal life Lubell was born in New York City, and was Jewish. Later in life he lived in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Fencin ...

, and

Harold Goldsmith Harold David Goldsmith (born Hans Goldschmidt), known as Hal (July 20, 1930 – March 13, 2004) was an American Olympic foil and epee fencer. Early and personal life Goldsmith was born in Gensungen, Felsberg, Hessen, Germany, and was Jew ...

Halls of Fame and awards

Krieger received the Detroit Sports Guild Outstanding Athlete Award in 1951. He was elected to the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame in 1974, the Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976 (one of six original inductees), and the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 in West Bloomfield, Michigan/ He was officially rated as one of the nation's top 10 fencers for 15 years during his career. His Olympic jacket warm-up suit and press photographs are on loan at the Museum of American Fencing.

Later life

Krieger was selected to referee Olympia style Latin American Games in Venezuela and Guatemala. He served for many years as both President of the Michigan Division of the Amateur Fencers' League and the Salle de Tuscan Fencing Club, and devoted many years to officiating at State and Intercollegiate matches. He had a long career with the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

in Detroit, and retired in 1979 as Associate Chief Appeals. He then opened a full-time private practice. Krieger met his wife, actress/writer Jocelyn Ruth, also from Detroit, in 1956 while he was training for the Olympics in New York City. They were founding members of the Young Israel of Southfield, and involved with the Detroit

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

community. In 2015 they celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary with six children, 16 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. Krieger's grandson, Sam Larson, fenced for the

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

team 2012–15. Krieger died at age 95 on November 8, 2015, from injuries he incurred in a fire in his home in

Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...

, Florida. Krieger was a devout Jew and was celebrating the Sabbath by lighting the traditional

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

candle, signifying the beginning of the Sabbath. Krieger suffered from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

, and the match he lit for the candle fell from his hands and onto his sweater. His wife of 57 years was with him at the time, and survived.

References

External links