{{Short description|British fencer (1927–2009)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Use British English|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson |name = Ralph Cooperman |image = |caption = |birth_date = {{birth date|1927|11|16|df=yes}} |birth_place = Stoke Newington, London, England |death_date = {{death date and age|2009|3|22|1927|11|16|df=yes}} |death_place = London, England |height = {{convert|5|ft|8.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} |weight = {{convert|165|lb|kg|abbr=on}} |sport = Fencing |event = Foil and sabre |club = Salle Paul Fencing Club |medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Fencing}} {{MedalCountry| {{ENG}} }} {{MedalCompetition|British Empire & Commonwealth Games}} {{MedalGold| 1954 Vancouver|foil team}} {{MedalSilver|1954 Vancouver|sabre individual}} {{MedalSilver|1954 Vancouver|sabre team}} {{MedalGold|1958 Cardiff|sabre team}} {{MedalSilver|1958 Cardiff|sabre individual}} {{MedalGold|1962 Perth|foil team}} {{MedalGold|1962 Perth|sabre individual}} {{MedalGold|1962 Perth|sabre team}} {{MedalBronze|1962 Perth|foil individual}} {{MedalGold|1966 Kingston|sabre individual}} {{MedalGold|1966 Kingston|sabre team}} }}

'''Arnold Ralph Cooperman''' (16 November 1927 &ndash; 22 March 2009) was a British three-time Olympic foil and sabre fencer.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite magazine|url=http://magazinepre.esra.org.il/blog/post/ralph-cooperman-jewish-fencer|title=Ralph Cooperman – A distinguished Jewish fencer 1927-2009|last=Raz|first=Yonit|magazine=Esra Magazine|number=150|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419085124/https://magazinepre.esra.org.il/blog/post/ralph-cooperman-jewish-fencer|archive-date=19 April 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Biography == Cooperman was born in Stoke Newington, England, and was Jewish.<ref name="news.google.com"/><ref name=autogenerated1/>

He won the British junior championships in foil and sabre in 1950 and 1951, and was a three times British fencing champion, winning the sabre title at the British Fencing Championships in 1954, 1960 and 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishfencing.com/uploads/files/british_champions.pdf|title=British Champions|website=British Fencing|access-date=29 October 2022}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1/><ref name="news.google.com">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=883&dat=19540730&id=6vFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e0wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1804,1911973|last=Arnold|first=A. J.|title=Eight Jewish Athletes at BFG|work=The Canadian Jewish Chronicle|date=30 July 1954|page=15|via=Google News}}</ref>

Cooperman was a medalist at the 1950 Maccabiah Games, the 1953 Maccabiah Games, and the 1969 Maccabiah Games.<ref name="news.google.com"/><ref name=autogenerated1/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://oldcamdenians.info/our-members/obits/|title=In Memoriam|access-date=15 November 2023}}</ref> He competed in the world championships in 1953.<ref name=autogenerated1/>

He competed on behalf of Great Britain in foil and sabre at the 1956 in Melbourne, and in Rome in the 1960 Summer Olympics and Tokyo in the 1964 Summer Olympics.<ref name="sports-reference">{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/ralph-cooperman-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417162610/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/ralph-cooperman-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|title=Ralph Cooperman Olympic Results|accessdate=15 October 2010|work=sports-reference.com}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1/>

He represented England and won a gold medal and two silver medals in the foil and sabre respectively at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada.<ref name=CGF>{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/46530|title=Athletes and results|publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=15 November 2023|archive-date=19 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519163349/https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/46530|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/vancouver-1954/athletes|title=1954 Athletes|publisher=Team England|access-date=15 November 2023}}</ref>

At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games won a gold and silver in the sabre events and four years later at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games he won triple gold and a bronze medal in the foil (behind teammate Allan Jay).<ref name=autogenerated1/><ref name=CGF/>

Cooperman represented the England team<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000769/19660615/138/0019 |title=Jay for fifth Empire Games |work=Coventry Evening Telegraph |date=15 June 1966 |p=19 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=18 December 2025}}</ref> at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, where he participated in the sabre events.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thecgf.com/results/games/3036/19/all |title=England Kingston 1966 |website=Commonwealth Games Federation |access-date=17 December 2025 |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018082917/https://thecgf.com/results/games/3036/19/all |url-status=dead }}</ref> He won a 6th and 7th gold medal respectively in the individual and team sabre, the latter with Richard Oldcorn and John Rayden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/commonwealth/fencing.htm |title=Commonwealth Games Medallists - Fencing |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=18 December 2025}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/22110 Ralph Cooperman] on Olympedia *[https://olympics.com/en/athletes/arnold-ralph-cooperman Ralph Cooperman] on Olympics.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooperman, Ralph}} Category:1927 births Category:2009 deaths Category:British male fencers Category:Jewish foil fencers Category:Jewish sabre fencers Category:Jewish English sportspeople Category:Olympic fencers for Great Britain Category:Fencers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Category:Fencers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Category:Fencers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Category:People from Stoke Newington Category:Sportspeople from the London Borough of Hackney Category:Maccabiah Games medalists in fencing Category:Maccabiah Games gold medalists for Great Britain Category:Maccabiah Games silver medalists for Great Britain Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in fencing Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in fencing Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in fencing Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Category:Fencers at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Fencers at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Fencers at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Fencers at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Competitors at the 1950 Maccabiah Games Category:Competitors at the 1953 Maccabiah Games Category:Competitors at the 1969 Maccabiah Games Category:Medallists at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Medallists at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Medallists at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games