Arnd Schmitt

Arnd Schmitt began his fencing career in his hometown of Heidenheim and, after a two-years in Tauberbischofsheim, moved to TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 1986. Even at a young age, the “talent of the century” had a share in the team championship titles of the West German épée fencers at Barcelona in 1985 and Sofia in 1986. The following year, Schmitt secured individual victory in the World Cup for the first time, as well as silver with the team.

At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Schmitt achieved the “victory that counts” in the Olympic final against Frenchman Philippe Riboud, when he won in sudden death after an 8-8 tie. In the following years, Schmitt continued to collect medals. In 1990 he was third in the individual World Cup, in 1991 he was third with the team, and in 1992 at Barcelona he was an Olympic champion with the team. At the home World Cup at Essen in 1993, Schmitt won two medals, a silver in the individual and bronze with the team.

Schmitt returned home with medals from the World Championships in Athens in 1994, The Hague 1995, and Cape Town 1997. Only at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics did he miss a podium place, but was honoured as the flagbearer of the re-unified German Olympic team at the opening ceremony. In Seoul in 1999 Schmitt won an individual world title for the first time, and also won silver with the team. In 2000, he won the World Cup for the third time, after 1987 and 1991. At the season highlight in Sydney, however, his fourth Olympic Games, he missed another medal.

During his career, Arnd Schmitt, who completed his training as a dentist in 1993, was active as an athlete spokesman for the German Fencing Association and also for the German Sports Association, and in this capacity was a member of the foundation board of Deutsche Sporthilfe. From 2002, Schmitt was a personal member of the National Olympic Committee for Germany, and later became a member of the board of trustees of the Sportstiftung North Rhine Westfalia.

In 2013, Schmitt was inducted into the International Fencing Hall of Fame, and in 2016 was inducted into the German Sports Hall of Fame. Professionally, he led an own dental practice in Bergisch-Gladbach.