Photograph: Bravin is in the center of the cover (sixth from left).

Columbia's Nick Bravin, a second-year Law student, is the centerfold of the 11 Atlanta-bound Olympians on the cover of the current May issue of Vanity Fair in a photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

Bravin, a 24-year-old fencer who will be competing in second Olympic Games, is said to be a leading medal contender this summer in the foil event.

In addition to the cover shot, the issue also features a seven-page profile of Bravin by the writer David Halberstam, "Guts, Glory and Gold: Searching for the Olympic Ideal."

Halberstam calls Bravin, a three-time national champion, "the first American in years to show that he might be able to compete at fencing's highest level--against the mighty Europeans, who dominate the sport and who subsidize it handsomely."

In addition to Bravin, a second Columbia Law student, Ben Atkins is currently competing in Europe for a position on the men's Olympic fencing team for the epee event. Atkins, a graduate of Columbia College, was the first fencer in NCAA history to win championships in both foil and epee in alternate years.

Both Bravin and Atkins are on leave from the Law School this year to train for the Atlanta games.

Columbia University Record -- April 26, 1996 -- Vol. 21, No. 25