Willy Sulzbacher

Willy Sulzbacher competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics in the individual épée event. At the time of the Paris Games Sulzbacher lived in Paris, therefore he was listed as French. Nevertheless the Deutscher und Österreichischer Fechterbund (DÖFB) named him to the Paris Olympics, and the Germans claim him as one of theirs in the publication of the German Fencing Association, celebrating its 100th anniversary, although he was of French nationality, and born in France.

Sulzbacher studied épée under Professor Spinnewyn in Paris. In May of 1900, the first épée competition to be held in England took place, as previously the British fencers had fenced just foil and sabre. Sulzbacher won that competition plus the one held the following year.

Sulzbacher was the editor of the French fencing magazine L’Escrime Française from October 1900 (when it was revived after having ceasing publication in 1897) to January 1903 and then covered fencing for Revue Illustrée until shortly before his death. He committed suicide by shooting himself for unknown reasons.