Herbert Polzhuber

Herbert Polzhuber (June 1938 – 24 June 2015) was an Austrian fencer and modern pentathlete. Considered one of Austria's greatest épée fencers, he participated at four consecutive Olympic Games in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976, being a fencer in each in addition to a pentathlete in his first appearance. He is also partly remembered for an incident at the 1965 World Pentathlon Championships, where he allegedly drank 10 beers and a bottle of cognac before firing his pistol into the ground and passing out.

Early life Polzhuber was born in June 1938 in Wien, Nazi Germany (present-day Vienna, Austria). He was a member of the athletic club Heeressportverein Wien (commonly shortened to HSV Wien), and was one of only four Olympians affiliated with them.

Sports career Polzhuber competed in several sports and was talented in both fencing, specializing in the épée event, and modern pentathlon, a contest featuring pistol shooting, épée fencing, freestyle swimming, cross country running and equestrian show jumping. During his athletic career, he had a height of 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) and a weight of 85 kg (187 lb). Two years later, he returned to the event as a member of Austria's épée team (along with Marcus Leyrer, Roland Losert, and Rudolf Trost), helping them place fifth. In the individual modern pentathlon event, he placed 33rd, while in the team event Austria placed 10th, and in the team fencing competitions they tied for ninth. According to reports from the Hungarian team there, Polzhuber posted good scores in the first two events, equestrian and fencing, and was set to participate in the shooting contest. It is unclear the reason he consumed alcohol before the event, although Der Spiegel and the Hungarian publication Borsodihir both state that, at the time, athletes in shooting sports commonly drank prior to competition to "calm their nerves." He then went 3–2 in the second pool and advanced to the double elimination bracket, winning his first two matches before being sent to the losers bracket with a loss to Viktor Modzolevsky. His death notice in the European Fencing Confederation newsletter described him as "one of Austria's best former épée fencers."