Background
Armitage, who was Jewish, was born in Albany, New New York
Armitage, who was Jewish, was born in Albany, New New York
Armitage began fencing when he was a student at Columbia University. He won the 1928 Intercollegiate Fencing Association sabre championship.
College National sabre championships He holds 17 national championship titles, more than any other United States sabre fencer. Olympics Armitage competed in six Olympics, 1928-1936 and 1948-1956, only taking a break for World World War World War II He competed in the Olympics over a 28-year span. He carried the United States. flag in the Olympic opening ceremony in 1948, 1952, and 1956.
At the 1928 Summer Olympics, he competed (as Norman Cohn) in the individual and team events.
The American team was eliminated in the first round, and Armitage reached the semifinals in individual sabre. At the 1932 Summer Olympics, he reached the finals in the team event and finished fourth.
In individual sabre, he placed ninth. Armitage competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in spite of severe chemical burns on his right hand suffered in January of that year.
(He was a chemical engineer and later a patent attorney) He reached the semifinals in individual sabre, and placed fifth in the team sabre event.
At the 1952 Summer Olympics, Armitage competed in the team sabre event but not the individual sabre. They finished fourth. Hall of Fame.