Peter Westbrook, Trailblazing Olympic Medalist and Founder of Life-Changing Fencing Foundation, Dies at 72

Peter Westbrook OLY, a six-time Olympian and 13-time U.S. national saber champion who became a transformative figure in American fencing through his Peter Westbrook Foundation, died on Nov. 29, 2024. He was 72.

Westbrook qualified for six Olympics and competed at five, missing only the 1980 Moscow Games because of the U.S. boycott. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he made history by earning the bronze medal in the men’s individual saber event, becoming the first Black American fencer to win an Olympic medal.

Between 1974 and 1995, Westbrook dominated domestically, capturing 13 Division I men’s saber national championships, including an astounding eight consecutive titles from 1979 to 1986. These unmatched fencing achievements made Westbrook a shoo-in for the USA Fencing Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 1996.

Damien Lehfeldt, chair of the USA Fencing Board of Directors, called Westbrook “one of the most influential figures in the history of American fencing.”

“You cannot tell our history without Peter’s on-strip accomplishments, nor can you tell them without his contributions via his foundation,” Lehfeldt says. “Like Emik Kaidanov and Sam Cheris whom we’ve recently lost, Westbrook’s accomplishments made him worthy of belonging on a Mount Rushmore of American fencing for all he did for the sport.”

Indeed, while his competitive accolades were legendary, it was Westbrook’s work off the strip that cemented his lasting legacy. In 1991, he created the Peter Westbrook Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to using fencing to teach life skills, discipline, and academic excellence to underprivileged youth.

“Fencing has given me so much that it’s my duty to serve others through this Olympic sport,” Westbrook often said.

Based out of the iconic Fencers Club in New York City, the foundation became a launchpad for success, producing generations of athletes who have competed at every level of fencing — from youth to Veterans and everything in between. 

Since the 2000 Games in Sydney, at least one PWF fencer has represented the United States at every Olympic Games, collectively earning 17 Olympic berths and several medals, including most recently a team gold and individual silver for Lauren Scruggs OLY at the 2024 Paris Games.

“Through Peter’s program, wisdom, and unwavering support, I learned how to become my best and truest self on and off the piste,” Scruggs says. “I learned how to find my confidence in a world aimed at tearing it down, I learned the passion and fight needed for success, lessons which I used on the Olympic stage, and last, I learned the profound impact of community — its influence evident every Saturday at PWF. While Peter may not be here today, his legacy and spirit live on in all whose lives he touched.”

“Peter’s impact transcended fencing,” adds Isis Washington, another PWF athlete who works with younger fencers as a coach. “He was the first person to show me the transformative power of sport and how it can profoundly change lives.”

Philippe Bennett, chair of the board of the Fencers Club, praised Westbrook’s ability to uplift others.

“For so many of us, Peter was a transformational force who shared his passion for our sport and inspired so many to become the best and most compassionate they can be,” Bennett says.

Born on April 16, 1952, in St. Louis, Mo., Peter Westbrook grew up in Newark, N.J., in the Hayes Homes projects. He was raised by his Japanese mother, Mariko Wada-Westbrook, after his African American father left the family when Peter was four.

Mariko, a descendant of samurai warriors, introduced her son to fencing at Essex Catholic High School as a way to keep him off the streets. To encourage him, she paid him $5 for each fencing class he attended.

“I didn’t know anyone who fenced, and hardly even knew what fencing was,” Westbrook wrote in his 1997 autobiography, Harnessing Anger. “I had no idea what to expect. Still, $5 in those days was more like having $15 in your pocket today, and my mother was offering me $5 for every lesson I took!”

Her belief in the sport’s transformative power proved prophetic.

“I was also lucky to have a mother who knew that fencing would keep me off the streets,” Westbrook wrote. “But fencing did more than just keep me out of trouble. She correctly concluded that I would meet people who would expose me to a different world than the one I was used to.”

At New York University, Westbrook earned a full fencing scholarship and a B.S. in Marketing while training under world-class coaches. He quickly rose to prominence on the international stage, representing the United States in six Olympic cycles and serving as the U.S. flag bearer at the closing ceremonies of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

“Fencing had literally become a way of life for me,” Westbrook wrote in his autobiography. “At any given moment, fencing was foremost on my mind. It scares me now to think about how deeply engrossed I was in the sport. I dreamed only about fencing. I’d wake up in the morning with my arms and hands going through the motions.”

Steve Mormando OLY, Westbrook’s friend and teammate at three Olympics, said he trusted Westbrook in every way.

“If we were at the bridge in Rome holding against the horde, it would be Peter first — over Horatius — that I would want by my side, and I would be beside him,” Mormando says. “Rest in peace, brother. I love you.”

Beyond his achievements on the strip, Westbrook was known for his humility, mentorship, and unshakable dedication to his community through the Peter Westbrook Foundation, which he launched in February 1991 at the New York Fencers Club on West 71st Street in Manhattan.

“I viewed the venture as an opportunity to teach inner-city kids life skills,” Westbrook wrote. “I wanted to teach them how to win and lose, deal with stress, control their emotions, and strive for excellence.”

Six kids showed up that first day — all relatives or close friends. One week later, the number was 40, but even still, doubters said they’d lose two-thirds of the kids within two weeks.

“We didn’t lose any,” Westbrook wrote. “Parents came to us and said that they couldn’t understand it. They had never seen their kids get involved with any activity as passionately as they took to fencing.”

With a core group of staff that included Michael Lofton, Robert Cottingham and Donald Anthony, PWF thrived. Soon, more people signed on to help — inspired by the PWF mission of “Development of the Individual Through Fencing.”

Throughout the years, at USA Fencing national tournaments, Westbrook could often be seen stripside, cheering on PWF fencers from the very first pool bout until the day-ending medal ceremony. 

Bob Cottingham, the chair of the Peter Westbrook Foundation who fenced with Westbrook at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, called him “the lightning in the bottle who was as talented on the strip as off.”

“Peter created a legacy for many to follow,” Cottingham says.

That legacy includes fencers like Akhi Spencer-El OLY. Before Spencer-El became an Olympian in fencing, Westbrook’s wife discovered him in the Harlem Little League and urged his mother to bring him to the foundation. 

“Now he's so crazy about fencing that he's given up everything else,” Westbrook wrote in his autobiography.

“He was such a powerful figure who profoundly impacted me, my community and my fellow Olympians,” Spencer-El says. “Words cannot capture all that he gave to the universe. I will miss him dearly and strive to honor his legacy every day.”

The outpouring of love continued on social media as word of Westbrook’s passing spread.

Lake Mawu Sheffield, who trained under Westbrook, wrote that “having Peter in my life the past 10 years has been nothing short of a blessing. I will be forever grateful for all the wisdom, love, and laughs he has given me.”

And Daryl Homer OLY, another of Westbrook’s mentees, called Westbrook his “Big Brother. OG. Mentor. Father Figure. Every conversation with you was a masterclass in empathy, accountability, and love. Rest in Power, Pete.”

Westbrook is survived by his wife, Susann, and their family. 

His life story, from a child in Newark to an Olympic medalist and mentor, continues to inspire. And his PWF fencers will continue to find success in both the fencing arena and in the arena of life.