History has a personal meaning for Eli Dershwitz, who earned a degree in the subject while on a fencing scholarship at Harvard. As he prepares for his third Olympic appearance with Team USA, Dershwitz stands on the shoulders of his ancestors as he returns to Europe, a continent that was not always welcoming to his family in the past.
"I feel a tremendous amount of pride for being able to compete for the U.S., oftentimes going back to compete in a country that my grandparents left, regardless where it is in Europe," Dershwitz said. "Going back there and having my parents tell me that my grandparents would be proud — they're no longer with us — I'm beyond happy. They couldn't have imagined a situation in which I've gone back to compete on a world stage in a crowd that didn't want them there 100 years ago, but now they're cheering for you."
Dershwitz's grandparents were among the millions of Jewish people who were persecuted in the Holocaust. They were able to survive and share their stories with their children and grandchildren.
From 1940-43, the Nazis forced the occupied French government to establish transportation camps outside Paris, which sent Jews awaiting deportation to work and death camps across Europe.
The firsthand accounts from his family helped shape Dershwitz's understanding of the world and influenced his educational path.
"My grandparents were more than willing to talk to me about their experiences, how happy they felt that my parents were able to give us a good home in a new country," he said. "The connection between my family, my appreciation for history and understanding of the world around us, I felt like that gave me a very good understanding, and then mix that with having friends and mentors and coaches from all parts of the world."
Dershwitz has always respected the ability of sports to bring the world together for the common thrill of competition. Even countries that have poor relations, he says, can still come together for the Olympics.
He described fencing as a global sport, in which each competitor attempts to "touch" their opponent with bladed weapons — an epee, foil or saber. The physical chess, as the sport is often called, masks all identifying features, leaving only another person across the strip, regardless of nationality.
Individual fencing bouts are determined by competitors achieving 15 touches on their opponents to win. The fight for each touch is quick, lasting only seconds between the movement of one fencer and the wound of another. Elite fencers must be focused and mentally tough.
"I always want to be putting myself in a position where I have a shot," Dershwitz said. "I have a good team around me, both fencing- and personal-wise, and I think using that community to help me stay focused, disciplined and resilient is the best preparation."
Dershwitz primarily trains in four locations where he now lives in New York, including New York University, where he serves as an assistant fencing coach. A diverse set of training environments and coaches helped propel Dershwitz to be ranked No. 7 in the world for saber competition, according to the International Fencing Federation. He has won 11 international gold medals, six silver and three bronze. While at Harvard, he was named to the All-Ivy first team and All-America first team in 2015 and 2017, respectively. In 2015, he became the first U.S. male to win gold in saber at the world junior championships.
For Dershwitz, the best training comes from strong relationships with his coaches and teammates.
"If everyone's intent is not just to make themselves better, but their teammates better, the overall level rises," he said. "It's a testament to how much progress can be made when a group of people, who have been friends, who have been teammates, mentor-mentee relationship, lock down on a set of ideals. The overall competitiveness rises. … Everything should snowball into being better and better."
Preparing for the Paris Games, Dershwitz has worked with his current coach, Aleks Ochocki, for more than a year. A former teammate and mentor of Dershwitz, Ochocki can leverage their history together to bring out the most in training.
"He knows me well enough to put me in my place if I have attitude, and he'll tell it like it is," Dershwitz said. "To have someone with that relationship that's close enough where I won't take it personally when he says, 'shut up and listen,' I trust him and respect him."
Dershwitz credits part of his accomplishments to the strict training he grew up with, which allowed him to stay accountable to himself and his goals. He says this style of coaching kept him humble.
"You need to get your ass kicked by either an older mentor on the team or a strict coach," he said. "I, luckily, had both growing up, people that helped me be accountable. Tough love is something that I believe in. It's very helpful if structured and done in a manner in which the person receiving it understands that it is done with love."
A style of tough love has transferred to Dershwitz's own coaching style, where he focuses on developing a unique plan for each mentee. His approach is intentional, never assuming one student will respond in the same way as another.
"I make it very clear that I'm pushing students individually based on what I think they're able to take," he said. "Two students have completely different personalities, and I'm not going to coach them the same way. I try to make sure that the students have a very clear understanding of why I'm being hard on them, and why I'm asking more of some than others. And I think that translates very well to the Olympic level."
As he continues training for competition in Paris, Dershwitz looked back with gratitude on his choice of fencing and coaching over a typical career. While others are concerned with starting lucrative careers, Dershwitz is fulfilled in supporting kids at all levels. He enjoys helping them find love for the sport, along with a community that has helped him succeed.
"I get just pure joy if I see a kid who's struggling, and fencing doesn't make sense. When the light clicks in them and they figure it out, it's like their whole world just opened up," he said. "Being able to give back, mentor and coach young kids, and to see them start at the state, national and international levels, has been very meaningful to me."
