Two fencing opponents seem to be taking a page from the same play book — an airborne lunge, an extended arm and an attack to the upper body — at a women’s intercollegiate tournament at Hunter College in the Bronx on Dec. 19, 1959. This image was taken by Ernie Sisto, an award-winning photographer who worked for The Times for nearly 50 years, from 1923 to 1972.
Forty-nine fencers entered the competition; 12 reached the finals. Madeline Miyamoto, 18, a freshman at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J., captured the championship, winning 11 bouts in the final round robin, including a victory over Fran Sidoti of Jersey City State College, the reigning national champion, in just 45 seconds.
Ms. Miyamoto, a left-handed fencer, would use the tournament as a stepping stone to bigger accomplishments. She would become an individual NCAA fencing champion in 1960 and again in 1963, while helping Fairleigh Dickinson win the national team title in those years. In 1961, she also appeared on the popular TV game show “To Tell the Truth,” as the panelists tried to figure out who was the real Madeline Miyamoto, fencing star.
This made-to-order image is printed on giclée archival photo paper and is available framed or unframed. Framed photography comes ready to hang with a removable wire attached to the back. Choose from a lightweight ayous wood or a gold or silver metal frame to customize the frame best suited to your space. The print comes from The New York Times’s extensive archives, known as the “morgue,” which houses more than five million photographic prints that date back to 1905. It is available exclusively from The Times Store.
