{{Short description|Soviet fencer (1931–2012)}} thumb|Mark Midler {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Mark Midler | birth_name = | fullname = Mark Petrovich Midler | nickname = | nationality = | residence = | birth_date = {{birth date|1931|9|24|df=yes}} | birth_place = Moscow, Soviet Union | death_date = {{death date and age|2012|5|31|1931|9|24|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nos.nl/artikel/379079-schermlegende-midler-overleden.html |title=NOS Sport – Schermlegende Midler overleden |date=June 2012 |publisher=Nos.nl |access-date=2012-06-01}}</ref> | death_place = | height = | weight = | website = | country = | sport = Fencing | event = | collegeteam = | club = Burevestnik Moskva | team = | turnedpro = | coach = | retired = | coaching = | worlds = | regionals = | nationals = | olympics = | paralympics = | highestranking = | pb = | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's fencing}}<ref name="databaseolympics">{{cite web|url=http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MIDLEMAR01 |title=Olympics Statistics: Mark Midler |access-date=2010-09-25 |work=databaseolympics.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213141314/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MIDLEMAR01 |archive-date=2012-02-13 }}</ref> {{MedalCountry|the {{URS}}}} {{MedalGold |1960 Rome | Team foil}} {{MedalGold |1964 Tokyo | Team foil}} | show-medals = yes }}

'''Mark Petrovich Midler''' ({{langx|ru|Марк Петрович Мидлер}}; 24 September 1931&nbsp;– 31 May 2012) was a Soviet Russian foil fencer. He competed at four Olympic Games, at which he won two gold medals.<ref name="sports-reference">{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mi/mark-midler-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417162625/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mi/mark-midler-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Mark Midler Olympic Results |access-date=2010-09-25 |work=sports-reference.com}}</ref>

==Early and personal life== Midler was born in Moscow, in the Soviet Union, and was Jewish.<ref name="sports-reference"/><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=dAq4TGQsWwwC&dq=mark+midler+jewish&pg=PA268 ''Day by Day in Jewish Sports History'' – Bob Wechsler<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Yw-DAAAAMAAJ&q=mark+midler+jewish ''Great Jews in Sports'' – Robert Slater<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ay5QAQAAIAAJ&q=mark+midler+jewish ''Jewish Affairs''<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=AgmDAAAAMAAJ&q=mark+midler+jewish ''Encyclopedia of Jews in Sports'' – Bernard Postal, Jesse Silver, Roy Silver<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Fencing career== Midler was a member of the USSR National Fencing Team between 1951 and 1967.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210119083442/http://www.rusfencing.ru/federation.php?act=&txt_id=2098 Profile at the Russian Fencing Federation]</ref><ref name="sports-reference"/> He trained at Burevestnik in Moscow.<ref name="Khavin">{{cite book|title=All about Olympic Games.|author=Boris Khavin|publisher=Fizkultura i sport|edition = 2nd|page=564|year=1979|location=Moscow|language=ru}}</ref><ref name="sports-reference"/>

Midler won the Soviet individual foil title six times (1954–57, 1963, and 1965) and the Soviet Cup in 1961.<ref name="sports-reference"/>

===World Championships=== Midler won four consecutive World Championships in Foil, in 1959 to 1962.<ref name="sports-reference"/> He also won a silver medal in 1957 and bronze medals in 1959 and 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports123.com/fen/mw-fo.html |title=Sports 123: Fencing: World Championships: Men: Foil |access-date=2007-02-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929103323/http://sports123.com/fen/mw-fo.html |archive-date=2007-09-29 }}</ref><ref name="sports-reference"/> Along with his Soviet teammates, he won the World Team Championships in Foil five times: in 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, and 1966.<ref name="sports-reference"/> They also won a silver medal in 1967.<ref name="sports-reference"/>

===Olympics=== Midler was captain of the Foil team for the 1960 Olympic Games and the 1964 Olympic Games.<ref name="sports-reference"/> They won the gold medal in Team Foil at both Olympics.<ref name="sports-reference"/>

==Coaching career== Midler coached fencing for the Olympic teams of the Soviet Union and Russia.<ref name="sports-reference"/> From 1971 until 2000, Midler was the coach of the Soviet and later Russian national foil team.<ref name="sports-reference"/> He was also the head coach of the Soviet 1980 Olympic foil team, Unified Team 1992 Olympic foil team, and Russian 1996 and 2000 Olympic foil teams.<ref name="sports-reference"/>

==Awards== Midler was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lvszXWxqAR4C&q=%22mark+midler%22+foil&pg=RA1-PA77 |title=Jewish Sports Legends: The International Jewish Hall of Fame – Joseph Siegman |isbn=9781574882841 |access-date=2012-06-01|last1=Siegman |first1=Joseph |year=2000 |publisher=Brassey's }}</ref> In 1960 he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.<ref name="Khavin"/>

==See also== *List of select Jewish fencers *List of Jewish Olympic medalists

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://books.google.com/books?id=lvszXWxqAR4C&dq=%22jewish+sports+legends%22+allan+jay&pg=RA1-PA75 Jewish Sports Legends bio] *[http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/MarkMidler.htm Jewish Sports bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313132812/http://jewishsports.net/BioPages/MarkMidler.htm |date=2017-03-13 }} {{Footer Olympic Champions Fencing Team Foil Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Midler, Mark}} Category:1931 births Category:2012 deaths Category:Soviet male foil fencers Category:Russian male foil fencers Category:Jewish foil fencers Category:Jewish Russian sportspeople Category:Olympic fencers for the Soviet Union Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Category:Fencers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Category:Fencers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Category:Fencers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Category:Fencers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic medalists in fencing Category:Burevestnik (sports society) sportspeople Category:International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees Category:Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Category:Russian fencing coaches Category:20th-century Russian sportsmen Category:World Fencing Championships medalists