Born London, November 16, 1927. Died London, March 22, 2009, aged 81.
May 7, 2009 11:32ByAnonymous, Anonymous
Champion fencer Ralph Cooperman was among the most talented of the small post-war group of young Jewish fencers who successfully competed in the 1950 Third Maccabiah, the first games held in Israel, and who went on to represent Great Britain in world championships and Olympic Games.
The group included Allan Jay, who won the 1959 World Foil Championship and two silver medals at Rome in 1960.
Born into a traditionally Jewish family in Stoke Newington, north London, with a brother and sister who survive him, Ralph took up fencing in 1945 as part of his national service as an RAF physical training instructor.
He was soon competing in national championships. He won the British junior championships at foil in 1950 and sabre in 1951, and went on to win the British national sabre championship three times.
In 1953 he represented Great Britain in sabre at the world championships in Brussels. In June 1955 he came third, after two Hungarian ex-world champions, in an international sabre competition in London. In August he won an international tournament at Ostend.
He represented Great Britain at foil and sabre in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, where he was also in charge of the team’s physical training, and at the 1960 games in Rome and 1964 games in Tokyo.
Representing England in the Commonwealth Games, he was silver medallist at sabre in 1954 and 1958, and gold medallist in 1962 (when he also won the bronze medal at foil) and in 1966. He fenced, again successfully, in the 1953 and 1969 Maccabiah Games and was an official at the 1973 Games.
“Off-piste” he was unfailingly courteous and kind. He coached wheelchair fencers in the early days of Stoke Mandeville Hospital. With his wife, Shirlie, who survives him, he was known for hospitality. Other accomplishments included dancing and swimming.
Though suffering severe Alzheimer’s in later years, he will be remembered for his sense of fun as well as his fencing skill and dash.