Elizabeth Tartakovsky, a 2018 graduate of Livingston High School, is headed to Paris this summer to compete in her first Olympic games. A fencer for most of her life, she will be competing in the women’s sabre portion of the upcoming games, to be held in Paris from July 26 through August 11.
Tartakovsky began fencing when she was nine years old. She was introduced to the sport by a distant relative turned eventual coach Yury Gelman.
“When I was little, I tried out different sports. I tried fencing and I fell in love,” Tartakovsky said. “I loved smacking my sister with a sword.”
When she was a preteen, she started commuting into New York City to train at the Manhattan Fencing Center. From middle school through her high school graduation, she took part in LHS’ fencing team as much as her travel schedule allowed. She noted it was a different level than she was used to competing, but enjoyed being “part of a team, since fencing is very individualized.”
In addition to taking part in LHS’ fencing team, Tartakovsky has spent extensive time training at the Manhattan Fencing Center under Gelman. When discussing practicing at such a high level, she said that seeing the competitors and teammates “Made me believe something like this was possible.”
In 2019, she began training at the senior level, which included traveling to the Women’s Saber Grand Prix in Moscow. Despite being only 19 years old, she placed within the top 32 competitors.
In addition to being a world class athlete, Tartakovsky is also a Harvard graduate, having received her degree in economics with a psychology minor.
“After finishing my freshmen year at Harvard, I took the year off to train for 2020,” Tartakovsky said. Unfortunately, she contracted COVID prior to her final qualifying match. However, she still went to Tokyo as a trainer to get a feel for the Olympics. While COVID restrictions did not allow for her to be in Olympic Village, she was able to train at the US Olympic Training Center, where she ran into athletic superstars like US women’s soccer sensation Megan Rapinoe.
“You look at these athletes and they’re definitely superstars, but they’re just like me,” she reflected on her time in Tokyo. Meeting them “Humanized the whole experience,” she said. “We dedicated our whole lives to be in this spot.”
After returning from Tokyo, her confidence grew even more. She returned to Harvard, where she completed her degree while competing for the Harvard fencing team and simultaneously training for the 2024 Olympic games.
After a brief break from training, Tartakovsky is back to intense practicing in preparation for this summer’s games.
She explained her training regime typically consists of two main components: fencing training and strength and conditioning. Her fencing training is five days a week with three to four hour practices each session. Her fencing training consists of private training, group training, and practicing her footwork.
For strength and conditioning, she spends between an hour and a half to two hours, with three to four sessions each week. Tartakovky reflected on her long journey to her first Olympics. “This has been a goal for a while,” she said. “Even now, I find myself forgetting how long it took to get here. Sometimes I lose sight of the actual journey and the process I took. Of course, I want to medal but I also really want to enjoy it.”
Following this summer’s Olympic games, Tartakovsky currently has a finance job offer in Manhattan.
Tartakovsky is both anxious and excited for her first opportunity to represent the country at the Olympics.“I want to take it all in,” she said. “ I want it to be celebratory.”
Tartakovsky spoke about the importance of hard work, but underscored it is not the only component.
“Hard work is important, but if you’re passionate about something, that’s going to go a long way,” she said. “I think passion is something you need to push you to the next level.”
