Norman Cohn-Armitage

Norman Armitage took up fencing while a student at Columbia and, in 1928, won the IFA sabre individual championships and a berth on the Olympic team. He made six Olympic teams in all, and his span of 28 years between appearances is unmatched among U.S. Olympic athletes. At the 1948 Olympics, Armitage was the cornerstone of the sabre team that won the bronze medal. Also in 1948 he was part of the three-man color guard that carried the U.S. flag in the opening ceremonies. At the 1952 and 1956 Olympics, Armitage was standard bearer himself. Armitage’s record domestically is as lengthy as his Olympic record. In 25 years he placed in the first three in the sabre individual 22 times, winning on 10 occasions. He also won seven outdoor sabre individual titles and was a member of six national championship teams. Armitage spent his business career first as a chemical engineer, then briefly as a patent lawyer before returning to chemical research. In a chemical accident in January 1936, he was the victim of third-degree burns on his right hand and arm. He was not expected to be able to fence again, but through exercise and determination he strengthened the arm sufficiently to make the 1936 Olympic team.