George Worth
Sport:
fencing
Country Represented:
United States
Years Competed:
1948, 1952, 1956, 1960
Medals Received:
bronze
Olympic Info:
An excellent sabre fencer in the 1940s and 1950s, Worth competed for the United States fencing team at four Olympiads. At the 1948 London Olympics, he participated in the team and individual events, winning a bronze medal in the team competition. In the individual event, he qualified for the final from his preliminary pool by winning four matches. In the final, Worth won only two matches and finished in fifth place.
Worth returned to the Olympics in 1952 at the Helsinki Games and again competed in the team and individual events. The U.S.team (with fellow Jewish fencers, Norman Armitage, Allan Kwartler, and Alex Treves) defeated Switzerland in the first round (9-2), Germany in the second round (11-5), and Poland in the semifinals (10-6). They advanced to the final round-robin competition, but lost to Hungary 13-3, Italy 12-4, and France 8-6, and finished in fourth place. In the individual competition, Worth reached the quarterfinals and won three of his matches, but was eliminated from the competition after finishing seventh in his pool.
At the 1956 Melbourne Games, Worth made it to the semifinals in the individual sabre competition, but was then eliminated when he finished in seventh place in his pool, winning only two of his seven matches. In the team event, the U.S was fortunate to receive a first-round bye (they did not draw an opponent) and automatically advanced to the semifinals, where they were eventually elimimated after losing to Poland and Hungary in their pool.
Worth's final Olympic appearance was at the 1960 Rome Games, where he competed exclusively in the team sabre event; the U.S. again finished in fourth place.
Career Highlights:
In 1954, Worth was the U.S. national sabre champion.
Birth and Death Dates:
unknown
Origin:
unknown