Maurice Schmidt was not the favorite to win gold. However, he won the final against a Briton by a clear margin and achieved the greatest success of his career – thanks in part to the work of his coach.
Wheelchair fencer Maurice Schmidt owes his gold medal at the Paralympics in Paris to his coach’s meticulous preparation. “We knew exactly where the opponents’ weaknesses were,” said coach Alexander Bondar. “I’m a paper guy. At home I have four folders full of analyses.” The strengths and weaknesses of the potential competitors were discussed for about two weeks, said Bondar.
“He definitely played a big part. Every lesson is extremely important, in every fight we specifically practiced things that I should do against the next opponent and these are exactly the actions that worked,” said Schmidt.
Bondar praised his 25-year-old protégé highly. “Maurice is very young, but also very determined and disciplined. That’s very important,” he said. “He knows very well that he doesn’t have to ask too many questions, but should just do it.”
Schmidt defeated Britain’s Piers Gilliver 15:8 and, after his success with the sabre, will also compete with the épée on Friday. “I don’t think you should underestimate him there either. Anything is possible. It’s also possible that he won’t win anything, but there’s also a chance that he’ll win gold,” said Bondar. “We’ve created folders for that too.”
Source: Stern
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