Michael Marx (born July 7, 1958) is 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 ...

and epee fencer and

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

master. He is the brother of Robert Marx, who has also represented the U.S. in multiple Olympic fencing events. Michael and his brother were taught to fence by their mother, fencing coach Colleen Olney, who is considered by many prominent fencers to be "the mother of fencing in Oregon".

Fencing career

Marx won a silver medal in foil at the

World University Games The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a portmanteau of the words "Universi ...

in 1985. He is an 8-time United States national men's

champion (1977, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, and 1993). He is also a five-time Olympian in both

and epee (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996). Although Marx qualified for the 1980 Olympic team he did not compete due to the Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. He was one of 461 athletes to receive a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

instead. Marx won the

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in team foil at the

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 1979 and 1983, and the bronze in 1987. He won the bronze medal in individual foil in 1987.

USFA

He served as Vice President of the

United States Fencing Association The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded in 1891 as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of New York fencers seeking indepe ...

(USFA) from 1992 and 1996. He is a staff member of the USFA Coaches College.

Coaching career

Marx received his Master of Arms degree in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in 1993 after spending several months studying under Prof.

Zbigniew Czajkowski Zbigniew Czajkowski (5 February 1921 – 8 February 2019) was a Polish fencing coach. Czajkowski was dubbed "Father of the Polish School" of fencing. He coached many champions, including :pl:Egon Franke (szermierz), Egon Franke - the first Polish ...

at the Academy of Physical Education in

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

. In recent years he has served as the U.S. national women's épée coach, and his students have included U.S. Team member Cody Mattern. Marx was fencing master at Northwest Fencing Center in

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in the Tualatin Valley, located in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon, with a small portion bordering Portland. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was ...

, until 2008 when he accepted a position as full-time assistant coach at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

in North Carolina. Marx returned to Northwest Fencing Center after a year as a coach at

. Since January 2010 he has been Director of Fencing Operations at the Boston Fencing Club. In July 2014, Marx founded Marx Fencing Academy, located in

Acton, Massachusetts Acton is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, approximately west-northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston along Massachusetts Route 2 west of Concord, Massachusetts, Concord and about southwest of Lowell ...

Awards

Marx was inducted into the

USFA Hall of Fame The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded in 1891 as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of New York fencers seeking indepe ...

in 1997. In 2003, Marx was inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

, the first fencer to be so honored. Marx is also a 5-time USOC Athlete of the Year. In 2007, he was named Developmental Coach of the Year by the USFA.

References

External links