Alexander Choupenitch (Czech pronunciation: [ˈalɛksandr̩ ˈʃupɛɲɪtʃ]; born 2 May 1994) is a Czech right-handed foil fencer, two-time Olympian, and 2021 individual Olympic bronze medalist.[1]

Early life

Choupenitch is the son of Belarusian-born opera singers who both worked at National Theatre Brno. The unusual form of his name – Choupenitch instead of Šupenič – is due to the fact that papers issued to his parents for travelling through Europe used a French spelling.[2]

His first sport, basketball, left him frustrated as he seldom got to touch the ball, so his mother took him to the fencing section of Sokol Brno when he was eight.[3] He later learnt that his step-grandmother, Tatyana Petrenko-Samusenko, was a three-time Olympic foil champion for the USSR.[4] Foil was the only option offered at the club, but he later explained that foil is indeed his favourite weapon, being the more realistic and striking the best balance between sabre's speed and épée's tactics.[5] His first coach was Dmitri Romankov, who also trained Belarusian fencer Siarhei Byk.[4]

Choupenitch's other favourite sports are association football and ice hockey.[6] He also plays the piano. Choupenitch interrupted his studies at the Masaryk University in Brno to focus on sport, and gained a sponsorship from Red Bull in 2015.[7]

Career

At the beginning of the 2013–14 season Choupenitch transferred from Sokol Brno to CS Fides in Livorno, Italy, to train under Paolo Paoletti.[8] He reached the final at the A Coruña World Cup before being defeated by China's Ma Jianfei and ended up with a silver medal.[9] His victory during the tournament over Olympic champion Andrea Baldini encouraged him to believe he could become a champion in his own right.[5] A few weeks later, he lost against Ma Jianfei in the Venice Grand Prix, this time in the semi-final, and took a bronze medal.[10]

In the 2014–15 season, Choupenitch won a silver medal at the Shanghai Grand Prix, losing in the final to the USA's Miles Chamley-Watson.[11] He also represented the Czech Republic at the 2024 Summer Olympics, earning a bronze medal.[12]

Personal life

Choupenitch can speak Czech, English, Italian, and Russian.[1] He also releases rap music apart from fencing.[13]

Medal Record

Olympic Games

Year Location Event Position
2021 Japan Tokyo, Japan Individual Men's Foil 3rd[14]
2024 France Paris, France 3rd[12]

European Championship

Year Location Event Position
2018 Serbia Novi Sad, Serbia Individual Men's Foil 3rd[15]
2024 Switzerland Basel, Switzerland 3rd

Grand Prix

Date Location Event Position
15 March 2014 Italy Venice, Italy Individual Men's Foil 3rd[16]
15 May 2015 China Shanghai, China 2nd[17]

World Cup

Date Location Event Position
21 February 2014 Spain A Coruña, Spain Individual Men's Foil 2nd[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "Profile". International Fencing Federation. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  2. ^ Jakoubek, Jiří (11 April 2014). "Moje příjmení je unikát, směje se šermíř Choupenitch, který drtí svět". Mladá fronta Dnes (in Czech).
  3. ^ Čejka, Michal (5 February 2012). "Choupenitch: Všechno bych vyměnil za olympiádu". Deník (in Czech). Brno.
  4. ^ a b "Šermíře Choupenitche posílilo, že mu unikly hry a byl sedmý v Evropě". Deník (in Czech). Brno. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  5. ^ a b Krutil, Robin (16 August 2014). "Plánuju vyhrát olympiádu, hlásí šermířský talent Choupenitch". Mladá fronta Dnes (in Czech).
  6. ^ Udatná, Veronika (12 April 2011). "Brněnský šermíř Choupenitch je světovou trojkou. Chce ale víc". Munimedia (in Czech). Archived from the original on 7 May 2015.
  7. ^ Tomis, Zdenka (16 April 2015). "V zahraničí jsme hvězdy, říká nejúspěšnější český šermíř". Aktuálně.cz (in Czech).
  8. ^ Gennari, Alessandra (17 March 2014). "Un Ceco al Livorno". Pianeta Scherma (in Italian).
  9. ^ "La Coruna, deludono gli azzurri". La Repubblica (in Italian). 17 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Scherma, Trofeo Alilaguna: Vittoria del cinese Ma Jianfei". La Repubblica (in Italian). 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019.
  11. ^ "Elementary my dear Chamley-Watson as US foil fencer wins Shanghai Grand Prix". EuroNews. 17 May 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Fencer Alexander Choupenitch claims bronze in Paris". ČT Sport (in Czech). Czech Television. 29 July 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  13. ^ Neumannová, Kateřina; Markup, Michal; Váchal, Ondřej (29 March 2024). "Šerm a sport je bezedná nádoba vědomostí a sebepoznání, říká Choupenitch. V hudbě hledá emoce". Czech Radio (in Czech). Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  14. ^ "2020 Summer Olympics". International Fencing Federation. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  15. ^ "2018 Fencing World Cup". International Fencing Federation. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  16. ^ "2014 Coupe Ville de Venise". International Fencing Federation. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  17. ^ "2015 Grand Prix". International Fencing Federation. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  18. ^ "2014 Tournoi Ciudad de A Coruña". International Fencing Federation. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
Allikas: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Choupenitch
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