Byron Krieger - Biography

Byron Lester Krieger (born July 20, 1920, in Detroit, Michigan) was an American foil, sabre, and épée fencer. Krieger represented the United States in the Olympics in 1952 and 1956. He was officially rated as one of the nation's top 10 fencers for 15 years during his career.

College

Krieger graduated from Northwestern High School. He attended Wayne State University in Michigan, and was the NCAA champion in foil in 1942. He was 62–7 in dual meets at WSU, including 30–0 in foil. He was WSU's first All-American.

Pan American Games

Krieger won gold medals in team foil and team sabre at the 1951 Pan American Games. He came in 6th in both the individual foil and sabre events.

Olympics

Krieger was a two-time Olympian for the United States in the 1950s.

At the 1952 Helsinki Games, Krieger competed in the team foil event, and the U.S. reached the quarterfinals.

At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, in the individual foil competition, Krieger finished 8th in his first-round pool and was eliminated, while the U.S. team that he was on reached the finals in the team competition. The U.S. finished 4th overall as they lost to France, Hungary, and Italy. Krieger competed in the matches against France and Italy and was the first American fencer to beat the French two-time Olympic champion Christian Doriola. Among Krieger's teammates at both the 1952 and 1956 Games were International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame members Albert Axelrod and Daniel Bukantz.

Maccabiah Games

In 1957 Krieger, who is Jewish, won the gold medal in saber and bronze medal in foil at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

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.

Krieger was inducted into the Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976.

He was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame' in 1986

Miscellaneous

• Krieger won 55 State and Midwest titles in all three fencing weapons, including all three weapons in the same year five times.

• Krieger met his wife Jocelyn Ruth while training in New York City for the 1956 Olympics. In 2008 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They have six children and 14 grandchildren.

See also

• List of select Jewish fencers

External links

• Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame bio
• Pan American Game results
• Jews in Sports bio