Fencing makes history on Day One

By the time the national anthem reached "banner yet wave," a solitary tear was tracing its way down the right cheek of Mariel Zagunis.

"Standing on the podium, I was extremely, extremely happy at that moment," Zagunis said.

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Two of her U.S. teammates shared in the joyous moment on Aug. 9, 2008, in Beijing-the first full day of competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The United States swept all three medals in women's individual sabre fencing, winning the first U.S. gold medal of the 2008 Games and marking the first sweep in an Olympic fencing event since Germany did it in women's foil at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea.

Zagunis, then 23, won the gold medal and made history for a second consecutive Olympic Games. (At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, she became the first U.S. gold medalist in fencing in 100 years.) Sada Jacobson, who was 25 when she competed in Beijing, took the silver, and Becca Ward, then 18, claimed the bronze.

"It all went by in such a blur," Ward said. "It was one of those days that seems to take forever but goes by in a second."

Jacobson, the No. 1 seed entering the contest, bid farewell to competing in international fencing that day. The Yale University graduate from Dunwoody, Ga., planned to enter law school at the University of Michigan. She would marry fellow fencer Brendan Baby in 2009 and was celebrating her honeymoon around the one-year anniversary of that historic moment in Beijing.

Ward, the No. 2 seed from Beaverton, Ore., was a few days away from entering Duke University. Ward said her roommate-to-be knew Ward was a fencer but was unaware of her international success. During the competition, Ward was able to check her Facebook page on the Internet, and saw that her roommate-to-be had posted she had seen Ward on television.

Although Zagunis was the reigning Olympic champion, she was only the No. 5 seed in the 2008 Olympics. 

"It all clicked at the right time," said Zagunis, of Beaverton, Ore.

Four years earlier in Athens, Zagunis was a late addition to the Olympics when Nigeria decided days before the competition it would be unable to send the country's Olympic fencer. The move left an opening for Zagunis, but made it difficult for family and friends of Zagunis to find a way to Greece.

China in 2008 was different.

"I actually had a really big posse," Zagunis said.

Her mother and father, Robert and Cathy Zagunis, traveled to China to cheer for her. Also among the Zagunis entourage were two uncles and two grandmothers.

Zagunis added she was glad to turn around during bouts and see Ed Korfanty, the U.S. sabre coach and her personal coach at her hometown club, the Oregon Fencing Alliance.

All three U.S. fencers had little time for visiting friends and family on Aug. 9. The Olympic schedule packed the entire women's individual sabre competition into one day. Zagunis remembered waking at 6 a.m. with just enough time to pack equipment and head to the buffet for breakfast.

Competition at the Fencing Hall in the National Convention Center began in the late morning. There were times when the crowd almost filled the venue, which held a capacity of 5,695 fans, Zagunis said.

"There was a really big turnout," Zagunis said. "The Chinese fencers had a lot of potential and a lot of hometown support."

In her quarterfinal match, Zagunis met No. 13 seed Bao Yingying of China. While they dueled on one fencing strip, another Chinese fencer competed on the strip next to them. Cheers for fencers on one strip were loud enough to interrupt action on the adjacent strip, Zagunis remembered.

"There was a lot going on-a lot of cameras, a lot of people, a lot of cheering, a lot of pressure," said Zagunis, who prevailed 15-9 in the quarterfinals.

Ward said her father, Bill Ward, made the trip. She gave him nervous moments, as she often had, by falling behind in one of her bouts. In the quarterfinal, Ward overcame a 9-6 deficit to defeat Azza Besbes of Tunisia, 15-14.

Jacobson's closest match before the medal round came in the round of 16. She trailed Ukraine's Olga Karlan 5-1 before rallying for a 15-13 victory. Jacobson trailed 5-1 in her semifinal bout before upending No. 6 seed Sofiya Velikaya of the Russian Federation, 15-11.

The other semifinal pitted two U.S. fencers who knew each other well. Korfanty coached both Ward and Zagunis every day at the Oregon Fencing Alliance.

"I have faced her literally all over the world," Ward said.

Ward had defeated her U.S. teammate in several international matches earlier in 2008, but Aug. 9 belonged to Zagunis. She rolled to a 15-11 victory.

Following her semifinal loss, Ward said it seemed she had less than 10 minutes to prepare for the bronze-medal match.

"My head just wasn't in the bout," she said.

A U.S. medal sweep looked doubtful when Velikaya took a 6-1 lead.

"I tried to collect myself," Ward said. "I told myself that the last match was over, and I couldn't do anything about it."

She fought back to tie the score at 11-11. At 14-14, the final point took but a second. Ward let out a triumphant scream. Then she realized a ruling, one to decide who won the bronze medal, had yet to be made.

Judges checked the replay on the monitor to see whether Ward successfully had executed an attack on preparation. Ward, unable to see the monitor, waited for the reaction of Americans gathered around the monitor. Once they broke out cheering, Ward celebrated for a second time.

Thanks to the aggressive performance of Zagunis, the gold-medal match contained less suspense. She defeated Jacobson, 15-8.

After scoring the final touch, Zagunis whipped off her helmet and unleashed her wave of blond hair. Amid bowing several times to the audience, she placed her right hand on her forehead. She bent over and placed her face down in the palms of her hands. She hugged Karfonty, her coach for the past 13 years.

"It was all kind of a blur," Zagunis said. "I was glad it was all over. It was a very, very stressful day."

Zagunis was now a two-time gold medalist. Jacobson had a silver medal to go along with her bronze from the 2004 Olympics. An emotional Jacobson received assistance from a fellow Yale graduate after the medal ceremony. Former president George H.W. Bush loaned her his handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

All three U.S. fencers had completed a mental obstacle course of competing in five Olympic bouts in one day. Ward said she thought celebrating could wait.

"I just wanted to get to bed," she said. "I was so tired."

Still, a news conference, drug testing and photographs followed, Zagunis said. Visits with family and friends, and more photographs, followed. Zagunis said she returned to the Olympic Village by about 1 a.m.

"I slept surprisingly well," she said.

And when they woke up the next morning with their medals, they realized their Olympic dreams had indeed become a reality.

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Jeff Gelski is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.