Mariel Zagunis
Encyclopedia
Mariel Leigh Zagunis (born March 3, 1985 in Beaverton
, Oregon
) is an American
Olympic
sabre
fencer
, of Lithuania
n heritage. She won the gold medals in the individual sabre at the 2004 Summer Olympics
and the 2008 Summer Olympics
. She is only the second American ever to have won a gold medal in Olympic fencing.
and Connecticut College
, respectively, before competing with the U.S. rowing team at the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal. Her older brother Marten and younger brother Merrick also fence sabre.
She was the first American fencer to hold the Jr. World Cup Champion title (2002), and she did so three years in a row (2002, 2003, 2004). She is the youngest fencer ever to win the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime
(FIE) World Championship gold, and the youngest fencer to win three FIE medals in one season. Zagunis won the FIE over-all medal three years in a row. She was the first fencer in the history of the sport to hold more than two World Champion titles in one season (2001: Cadet, Jr. and Jr. Team titles).
She entered the University of Notre Dame
in 2004 on an athletic scholarship.
In October 2005, Zagunis won her seventh World Champion title at the Leipzig
, Germany
World Championships, in the women's team event. A year later at the 2006 World Fencing Championships
she won the silver, after losing the final to Rebecca Ward
. She is the second U.S. fencer in history to have won the World Cup total-points Title from the FIE.
2009 saw Zagunis capture the last individual World title to have eluded her when she won the World Championships in Antalya
, Turkey
, defeating Ukrainian
Olga Kharlan
15–6 in the final. She repeated as World Champion one year later, again winning the individual sabre title, defeating the Ukraine's Olga Khomrova 15–11 in the final.
event was being contested for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics
. Zagunis did not directly qualify to fence in the tournament. However, Nigeria
decided not to send their qualifying fencer to the tournament, and as the next highest seeded fencer in the world, Zagunis was selected to represent the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics
.
She received one of eight byes offered in the first round, entering the tournament in the Round of 16, where she defeated Japan
ese fencer Madoka Hisagae, 15–13. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Elena Jemayeva of Azerbaijan
, 15–11. In the semifinals, Zagunis clinched at least a silver medal by defeating Romania
's Catalina Gheorghitoaia, 15–10.
Zagunis faced Chinese
fencer Xue Tan in the finals, defeating her 15–9 and becoming the first American to win an Olympic fencing gold medal in 100 years. Previously the only American Olympic fencing gold medalist was Albertson Van Zo Post
. In the 1904 Summer Olympics
he had been the gold medalist in the individual singlestick
event and in the team foil event, where he had joined two Cuban
fencers to make up a combined Cuba/U.S. team.
seeded sixth. She received a bye in the first round, entering the tournament when there were 32 fencers remaining. She trailed at the break in her round of 32 match against Sandra Sassine
8–7, but scored eight of the last ten touches to win 15–10. She then defeated Bogna Jozwiak 15–13 in the Round of 16.
She beat Bao Yingying
in the quarterfinals, 15–9. Zagunis then faced her training partner from the Oregon Fencing Alliance, Rebecca Ward
, in the semifinals and defeated her 15–11.
In the gold medal match, Zagunis faced the other top seed in the tournament, Sada Jacobson
, and won, 15–8. With Ward's victory in the bronze medal match, fencers from the USA had won all three medals in the individual event.
n team in the quarterfinals, 45–8.
In the semifinals, they fenced the team from Ukraine
. The Ukrainian side, seeded fifth in the tournament, defeated the favored U.S. team 45–39, denying them a gold medal, and placing them in the bronze medal bout against France
.
The U.S. team rebounded from their semifinal loss by defeating the French team 45–38 for the bronze medal.
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
sabre
Sabre
The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...
fencer
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n heritage. She won the gold medals in the individual sabre at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. She is only the second American ever to have won a gold medal in Olympic fencing.
Biography
Zagunis is the daughter of Olympians. Her parents, Robert and Cathy Zagunis, were collegiate rowers, at Oregon State UniversityOregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
and Connecticut College
Connecticut College
Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut.The college was founded in 1911, as Connecticut College for Women, in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women...
, respectively, before competing with the U.S. rowing team at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal. Her older brother Marten and younger brother Merrick also fence sabre.
She was the first American fencer to hold the Jr. World Cup Champion title (2002), and she did so three years in a row (2002, 2003, 2004). She is the youngest fencer ever to win the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime
Fédération Internationale d'Escrime
Fédération Internationale d'Escrime is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. It was founded on November 29, 1913 in Paris, France. Today, its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland...
(FIE) World Championship gold, and the youngest fencer to win three FIE medals in one season. Zagunis won the FIE over-all medal three years in a row. She was the first fencer in the history of the sport to hold more than two World Champion titles in one season (2001: Cadet, Jr. and Jr. Team titles).
She entered the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in 2004 on an athletic scholarship.
In October 2005, Zagunis won her seventh World Champion title at the Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World Championships, in the women's team event. A year later at the 2006 World Fencing Championships
2006 World Fencing Championships
The 2006 World Fencing Championships were held at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy. The event took place from September 29 to October 7, 2006.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:*...
she won the silver, after losing the final to Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward
Rebecca "Becca" Ward is an American sabre fencer. She won the gold medal at the sabre 2006 World Fencing Championships after beating Mariel Zagunis 15-11 in the final, and took bronze in both individual and team sabre events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.-History:A member of the Oregon Fencing...
. She is the second U.S. fencer in history to have won the World Cup total-points Title from the FIE.
2009 saw Zagunis capture the last individual World title to have eluded her when she won the World Championships in Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, defeating Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Olga Kharlan
Olga Kharlan
Olga Kharlan is a Ukrainian fencer and member of the team which won the gold medal in sabre at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
15–6 in the final. She repeated as World Champion one year later, again winning the individual sabre title, defeating the Ukraine's Olga Khomrova 15–11 in the final.
2004 Athens Olympics
The Women's SabreSabre (fencing)
The sabre is one of the three weapons of modern sport fencing, and is alternatively spelled saber in American English. The sabre differs from the other modern fencing weapons, the épée and foil, in that it is possible to score with the edge of the blade; for this reason, sabreur movements and...
event was being contested for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. Zagunis did not directly qualify to fence in the tournament. However, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
decided not to send their qualifying fencer to the tournament, and as the next highest seeded fencer in the world, Zagunis was selected to represent the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics
United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The United States was represented at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, by the United States Olympic Committee . The delegation of 613 athletes was the largest the country has ever sent to the Summer Olympics...
.
She received one of eight byes offered in the first round, entering the tournament in the Round of 16, where she defeated Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese fencer Madoka Hisagae, 15–13. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Elena Jemayeva of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, 15–11. In the semifinals, Zagunis clinched at least a silver medal by defeating Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
's Catalina Gheorghitoaia, 15–10.
Zagunis faced Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
fencer Xue Tan in the finals, defeating her 15–9 and becoming the first American to win an Olympic fencing gold medal in 100 years. Previously the only American Olympic fencing gold medalist was Albertson Van Zo Post
Albertson Van Zo Post
Albertson Van Zo Post was an American fencer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and died in New York City....
. In the 1904 Summer Olympics
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
he had been the gold medalist in the individual singlestick
Singlestick
Singlestick, also known as cudgels, refers to both a martial art that uses a wooden stick as well as the weapon used in the art. It began as a way of training soldiers in the use of swords such as the sabre...
event and in the team foil event, where he had joined two Cuban
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
fencers to make up a combined Cuba/U.S. team.
Individual Event
Zagunis entered the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
seeded sixth. She received a bye in the first round, entering the tournament when there were 32 fencers remaining. She trailed at the break in her round of 32 match against Sandra Sassine
Sandra Sassine
Sandra Sassine is a Canadian fencer. She was born in Chibougamau, Quebec. She will compete in the individual and team sabre events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In the women's sabre, she competed in section 3, beating Elvira Wood in the first round, but was eliminated in the second round by gold...
8–7, but scored eight of the last ten touches to win 15–10. She then defeated Bogna Jozwiak 15–13 in the Round of 16.
She beat Bao Yingying
Bao Yingying
Bao Yingying is a female Chinese sabre fencer, who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Major performances:*2001 World University Games - 3rd saber individual;*2002 World Junior Championships - 1st saber individual;*2002 Asian Games - 1st saber team;...
in the quarterfinals, 15–9. Zagunis then faced her training partner from the Oregon Fencing Alliance, Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward
Rebecca "Becca" Ward is an American sabre fencer. She won the gold medal at the sabre 2006 World Fencing Championships after beating Mariel Zagunis 15-11 in the final, and took bronze in both individual and team sabre events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.-History:A member of the Oregon Fencing...
, in the semifinals and defeated her 15–11.
In the gold medal match, Zagunis faced the other top seed in the tournament, Sada Jacobson
Sada Jacobson
Sada Molly Jacobson is an American fencer. Her hometown is Dunwoody, GA. She is the 2008 Olympic Individual Sabre silver medalist and 2004 Olympic Individual Sabre bronze medalist. She has been training at Nellya fencers from a young age.-Background:Jacobson is a daughter of David Jacobson, a...
, and won, 15–8. With Ward's victory in the bronze medal match, fencers from the USA had won all three medals in the individual event.
Team Event
In the women's sabre team event, the U.S. was heavily favored to win. Zagunis teamed up with Jacobson and Ward to defeat the South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n team in the quarterfinals, 45–8.
In the semifinals, they fenced the team from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The Ukrainian side, seeded fifth in the tournament, defeated the favored U.S. team 45–39, denying them a gold medal, and placing them in the bronze medal bout against France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The U.S. team rebounded from their semifinal loss by defeating the French team 45–38 for the bronze medal.