Rudi Maier (fencer)

Rudi Maier (born January 4, 1945 in Waldkirch ; † December 8, 2017 there ) was a German fencer . In the early 1970s, he was one of the best fencers in the world. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, however, he suffered a collapse that resulted in paraplegia and ended his fencing career.

Life

Maier began fencing at the age of 17 and trained in the fencing department of SV Waldkirch. Although he started fencing relatively late, he was quickly successful, taking fifth place in the German Junior Championship in 1965 and becoming the Baden champion in 1968. In 1970 he was a member of the German national team at the World Championships in Ankara and finished fourth. In 1971 he won the international sword tournament in Heidenheim, which at that time was considered the best-manned tournament in the world. In 1972 he qualified for the Olympic Games in Munich.

In the first skirmish of the Olympic Games, Maier collapsed and passed out. Since childhood he only had one functioning kidney due to an accident and suffered from circulatory problems even while preparing for the Olympics. However, there were no medical concerns about the start. After the collapse, an abnormality in the blood vessels was diagnosed. The injection of a contrast medium caused paraplegia, which confined him to a wheelchair.

Despite his spinal cord injury, Maier worked for a long time at the telecommunications office in Freiburg and devoted himself to other interests, such as beekeeping. The Rudi Maier tournament was regularly held in his honor in Waldkirch. Maier died on December 8, 2017 shortly before his 73rd birthday.

Web links

Rudi Maier in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

↑ Do not despair of fate. Badische Zeitung, December 20, 2017, accessed on March 3, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Andreas Schirmer: A life between triumph and tragedy. In: Fechtsport Magazin. Official organ of the German Fencing Federation e. V. Volume 37, No. 1, 2018, p. 16.
↑ In memory of Rudi Maier. SV Waldkirch, June 30, 2003, accessed on March 3, 2018 .

personal data
SURNAME	Maier, Rudi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German fencer and Olympic participant
DATE OF BIRTH	January 4, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH	Waldkirch
DATE OF DEATH	December 8, 2017
Place of death	Waldkirch

[1] Do not despair of fate. Badische Zeitung, December 20, 2017, accessed on March 3, 2018 .

[fechtsport-2] Andreas Schirmer: A life between triumph and tragedy. In: Fechtsport Magazin. Official organ of the German Fencing Federation e. V. Volume 37, No. 1, 2018, p. 16.

[3] In memory of Rudi Maier. SV Waldkirch, June 30, 2003, accessed on March 3, 2018 .