Viktor Modzalevsky

Although born in Kazakhstan, where his parents had fled from Voronezh during World War II, Viktor Modzalevsky grew up in Voronezh where his family had returned when Modzalevsky was less than a year old. Modzalevsky took up fencing in 1958 and was on the Soviet national épée team from 1967-78. He won all his international honors in the team épée event, winning silver at the 1968 Olympics and bronze in 1972. At the World Championships, Modzalevsky was also a team épée champion in 1967 and won team silver in 1971 and team bronze in 1973, and he was also on the European Cup team champion in 1971-73. After finishing his sporting career, Modzalevsky worked as a fencing coach in Voronezh. He was the coach of the Soviet national épée team from 1979-82 and later worked as an épée coach with the CSKA Moskva youth team and the Russian national youth team. In his senior years, Modzalevsky started to compete again in senior tournaments and won his only individual international medal, a bronze at the 2007 World Senior Fencing Championships. On the evening of 20 November 2011, Modzalevsky was on the way to return from Moscow, where he had participated in the Russian Fencing Cup for Seniors, to his home in Voronezh and made a coffee stop in the village of Borshchevoye, Tula Oblast, on the 152nd kilometer of the highway Don (M4). After exiting his car and while crossing the dark highway, Modzalevsky was hit by a truck driving in the opposite direction and was killed instantly.