Tamir Bloom

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Tamir Bloom

| birth_name =

| fullname =

| nickname =

| nationality =

| residence =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|12|23}}

| birth_place = New York, New York, United States

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =

| weight =

| website =

| country =

| sport = Fencing

| event =

| collegeteam = University of Pennsylvania Quakers

| club =

| team =

| turnedpro =

| coach =

| retired =

| coaching =

| worlds =

| regionals =

| nationals =

| olympics =

| paralympics =

| highestranking =

| pb =

| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's fencing}}

{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}

| show-medals = yes

}}

Tamir Bloom (born December 24, 1971) is an American epee fencer.

Personal life

Bloom was born in New York City, and is Jewish.[https://books.google.com/books?id=dAq4TGQsWwwC&dq=tamir+bloom+jewish&pg=PA358 Day by Day in Jewish Sports History - Bob Wechsler] He is a cousin of Israeli Olympian judoka Gil Ofer.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/of/gil-ofer-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418030733/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/of/gil-ofer-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-18|title=Gil Ofer Bio, Stats, and Results|publisher=}} Bloom has both U.S. and Israeli citizenship. He attended Millburn High School. Bloom's father is artist Murray Bloom.

Fencing career

Bloom fenced for the University of Pennsylvania Quakers fencing team.

=Olympics=

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Bloom placed 31st in individual epee. He was a member of the U.S. épée team that finished 8th. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Italy, 45–44.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bl/tamir-bloom-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417221313/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bl/tamir-bloom-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Tamir Bloom Olympic Results |accessdate=2012-02-22 |work=sports-reference.com}}

He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 1999, a few weeks before the World Fencing Championships in Seoul.http://oldsite.usfencing.org/Official/BOD200007M.pdf{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} He flew to Seoul with the intention of competing and possibly qualifying for the 2000 Olympics, but once there he was not allowed to compete because of his injury by the United States Fencing Association (USFA) Team manager. As it was too late to arrange for an alternate, team coach Michael Marx took his spot. The team finished 15th, which was not good enough to qualify for the team épée event at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Following the World Championships, the USFA attempted to prevent him from qualifying for the 2000 Olympics by threatening to withhold athlete funding which he had previously been granted. Despite this, Bloom went on to earn enough World Cup qualification to become the nation's number one ranked epee fencer. He then went on to win the Olympic Zonal Qualifier in Buenos Aires on an individual basis with an ACL-deficient knee, and thus was the only American entered in the men's épée at the Sydney Olympics.

At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Bloom lost in the 2nd round of individual épée to Arnd Schmitt from Germany, the top-ranked épée fencer in the world, and prior Olympic champion. Bloom finished 29th.{{cite web|url=http://oldsite.usfencing.org/Results/2000Olympics.asp |title=2000 US Olympic Fencing Results |accessdate=2014-01-31 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051210092725/http://oldsite.usfencing.org/Results/2000Olympics.asp |archivedate=2005-12-10 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.fencing.net/forums/thread3147.html |title=US Fencing Saturday – USFA Update |publisher=Fencing.net |date=September 18, 2000 |accessdate=January 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719102012/http://www.fencing.net/forums/thread3147.html |archivedate=July 19, 2011 }}

=Pan American Games=

Bloom won silver medals in both individual and team foil at the 1995 Pan American Games.{{cite web|url=http://www.jewsinsports.org/Olympics.asp?sport=olympics&ID=173|title=Bloom, Tamir|publisher=Jews in Sports|accessdate=20 February 2014}}

=US Championships=

While studying full-time at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Bloom continued to pursue the sport, and won the individual épée U.S. national championship in 1998{{cite web|last=Dicker |first=Ron |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DE103DF936A25755C0A96E958260 |title=FENCING - U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS - Brooklyn Teen-Ager Wins the Foil |work=New York Times |date=June 15, 1998 |accessdate=January 3, 2011}} and 1999.{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishsports.org/jewishsports/detail.asp?sp=202 |title=Tamir Bloom |publisher=Jewish Sports Hall of Fame |accessdate=20 February 2014 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221011320/http://www.jewishsports.org/jewishsports/detail.asp?sp=202 |archivedate=21 February 2014 }} Bloom was also a Junior Olympic champion in 1989.{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/70648ed57f0e645ee0fcf83586023817|title=Unfunded Fencers Make Sacrifices for Olympic Games|website=Associated Press }}

=World Championships=

Bloom has competed at four World Fencing Championships. He finished 31st in 1994, his best individual placing. In the team épée event, they placed 17th that year and 20th in 1997.

Hall of Fame

Bloom was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

References

External links

[http://www.columbia.edu/cu/pafc/Pan_American_Games_Results.htm#E Pan American Games results]
[http://oldsite.usfencing.org/Official/BOD200007M.pdf June 2000 USFA Disciplinary Panel Report suggesting Bloom be publicly reprimanded for failing to inform the USFA of his knee injury prior to the 1999 World Championships]{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}
[http://www.ivy50.com/story.aspx?sid=10/16/2006 Ivy@50 article]

Category:1971 births

Category:Living people

Category:American male foil fencers

Category:American male épée fencers

Category:Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai alumni

Category:Jewish épée fencers

Category:Jewish foil fencers

Category:Fencers at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Category:Fencers at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Category:Fencers from New Jersey

Category:Olympic fencers for the United States

Category:Jewish American sportspeople