Olympics: Fencing

Gold and Bronze Champions

On Tuesday, two U.S. women made history by winning fencing medals at the Athens Olympics, the first medals for U.S. fencing in 20 years. Mariel Zagunis is the first female U.S. fencer to win a gold medal since 1904 and Sada Jacobson won the bronze medal in the same event.

Fencing gold medalist Zagunis was online Thursday, Aug. 19, at 10:30 a.m. ET to discuss the historic wins for U.S. fencing.

Zagunis, 19, is from Beaverton, Ore. and started fencing at the age of ten. She is the only U.S. fencer to win the Junior World Cup title more than once and the only fencer in the history to hold more than two World Championship titles in one season. After Athens, she will begin her studies at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

_____________

Washington, D.C.: Hey Mariel-

Congratulations! Great victory. I was wondering why you think the USA was able to have such a breakout year in fencing? I am curious as to if you think there has been a change in training tactics, philosophy within USA fencing, etc? Thanks and keep up the good work.

Mariel Zagunis: Thank you! I think in women's sabre, the U.S. has been a huge powerhouse in the past few years and having our event in the Olympics for the first time has proven how much the U.S. has dominated the sport.

I think that our coaches have made a huge impact and produce really good results in U.S. fencing. The past results have proven that we shouldn't be taken lightly anymore and we've been seeing some great results these past seasons.

_______________________

College Park, Md.: You guys rock!! Go US FENCING!! We love you for showing the nation what our sport is made of!!

Mariel Zagunis: Awesome!

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Mariel and Sada,

Congrats on a great accomplishment for US fencing.

Can you both discuss the sacrifices you've made for your sport? I know you've put off entering college for a year. What is your training schedule like? How many hours/day do you fence? How many private lessons per week? Running? Weights? Money?

What does it take to become an Olympic medalist?

Mariel Zagunis: I couldn't even come close to achieving my goal if it wasn't for the tremendous support from my family. My parents are also Olympians (in the 76 Games) and so, they really know and did whatever they could to help me to reach my goal. They sacrificed a lot for me and know how hard I have been working to make it this far.

I've been fencing for more than half my life now and I had to give a lot up, but it was worth the sacrifice. You have to give a little to achieve in other places -- social events in high school that I had to give up, weekends, etc. As for taking a year off from school, since I graduated in 2003, I had training twice a day, six days a week. I did a lot of cross training -- track, sprints, medicine balls and different sports to keep me active. I think that being in shape is really important to balance out your body. I think being in full physical condition really helps with your movement, strength and coordination.

It definitely takes 100% dedication from yourself, hard work, concentration and focus -- you need to give it your all if you're going to have a high expectation for yourself. I had to remind myself what my goal was -- to make the Olympic team and in the back of my head, I didn't want to settle for anything less than gold.

_______________________

Lyme, Conn.: I always appreciated that our local high school instituted fencing as a sport. There seem to be relatively few opportunities for young people to get involved in fencing. How did you get involved at age 10?

Mariel Zagunis: It's not a popular sport in America. Hopefully now there will be more resources available. I followed my brother who fenced before me and I thought it was really cool. There's a great club in Portland. I think if people want to get involved they should look on the Internet and see what clubs, camps and programs are in your area. They are there if you look for them.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: First of all, congratulations. I've never grown up watching fencing and I barely know how to pronounce epee but you guys made fencing compelling and very exciting. When and how did you decide that fencing was something you wanted to pursue?

Mariel Zagunis: When I was younger I was very active in sports such as basketball and soccer. Once I tried fencing, it was very different from everything else that I was doing. It was very unique and it didn't take me a while to fall in love with the sport and I just stuck with it.

_______________________

Maryland: Do you see yourself as a role model for future fencers and do you think fencing will become more of a popular sport among young people?

Mariel Zagunis: I don't really think about it all the time and it's great to hear that I can inspire the next generation of female fencers and be a pioneer. I'm glad they have someone to look up to. Before, the U.S. was not a dominant presence but after Sada's and my results I think we're really going to spark interest and be the role models for the next generation of fencers to look up to.

_______________________

Portland, Ore.: Mariel,

How soon are you going to get going on the next World Championship effort?

Mariel Zagunis: I believe they are over a year from now. I'm getting ready to go to school from Athens and the next thing I'm going to worry about is school. I'll be part of the team there but I'm definitely going to the world championships confident and defend [my Olympic title] and have something to prove. I'm going to have to work hard and hopefully show the world that I can do it again.

_______________________

Virginia: Do you have a signature move? Also, did you expect to take the gold at all?

Mariel Zagunis: I wouldn't say I have a signature move and I haven't seen the footage yet. It happened so quickly. I felt very confident and relaxed after I made it in the top four. Then I felt that I could do this and was ready to face my opponent and go for the gold. I expected it for myself and I know my coach expected it. It was definitely great!

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Congrats on an amazing win and a great day for US Fencing.

How do you think your victory and Sada's bronze will impact US Fencing?

Mariel Zagunis: I think our results are a huge step for U.S. fencing and we've put it on the map as far as women's sabre goes. I'm so proud of Sada and myself and for the world to notice U.S. fencing and be a part of that to get it to the next level.

_______________________

Virginia: Mariel,
I don't know much about fencing but can you give us a rundown on the different competitions in fencing. What's the difference with sabre versus the other sword events? And, how many fencing events are left?

Mariel Zagunis: There are three different types of weapons [competitions]-- depending on the type of sword, targets and timing. This is the first Olympics that there was a women's sabre competition. If you watch on tv, the epee is a very large target; the foil is a lighter version of epee and the torso is the only target; for sabre, it is the fastest moving and the target area are above the torso including the head and arms and you can hit with a slashing motion.

The men's sabre team is actually fencing off for the bronze medal in an hour. The women's epee team and men's epee team events are left. After today, there will be three more team events left in the games.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Congrats Mariel!; We were all pulling for you. Have you guys been making friends with other countries' fencing teams? How's life in the Village? What are you going to do over there now that your event's over?

Mariel Zagunis: As far as the rest of the fencers around the world, we see each other at world championships and events and we do recognize each other and get along. Life in the Olympic Village is cool to see the different athletes from different countries walking around. Now that my event is over and after the press stuff is over, I'm planning to go downtown to see the historic sites, do some shopping and enjoy the rest of the time here. I hang out with the fencing team and made friends from other sports in the U.S. teams and also, Australia. I think after the events, people will start to relax and hang out.

_______________________

Mariel Zagunis: Thank you so much for all your support and cheering for me and watching. It's so great to see that so many people know about this accomplishment and it's flattering to have so many supporters out there. My advice to future fencers or current fencers that are out there is to work hard if you set a goal for yourself -- you can achieve it with the right attitude and hard work. Go for your goals!

_______________________