Aug. 14, 2008
BEIJING, China – Former Notre Dame All-American Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.) captured her second medal of the 2008 Summer Olympics as the United States women’s sabre team took bronze in fencing competition on Thursday at the Olympic Green Convention Centre. Ukraine, who defeated the U.S. in the semifinals, took gold, while China earned the silver medal.
The U.S. claimed bronze by defeating France 45-38. This is the second fencing medal in the 2008 Games for Zagunis and her sabre teammates Sada Jacobson and Becca Ward. Zagunis spearheaded a sweep for the U.S. in the individual women’s sabre competition on Saturday by taking the gold. Jacobson and Ward received the silver and bronze, respectively. Zagunis also won individual gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Ukraine topped the United States, 45-39, in the semifinals earlier in the day.
In other fencing action at the Olympic Games, Notre Dame rising junior Kelley Hurley (San Antonio, Texas) was defeated in the first round of the individual women’s epee competition on Wednesday. Hurley lost to Korea’s Hyo Jung Jung, 15-6. Hurley was the No. 18 seed in the tournament. Jung was No. 15.
Incoming Notre Dame freshman Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif.) easily defeated Egyptian Mostafa Nagati, 15-3, in his first bout in the individual men’s foil on Wednesday. Meinhardt, the No. 9 seed, is the youngest U.S. Olympic fencer ever. His Olympic run would end in the next match as he fell to China’s Jun Zhu, 15-9, in the round of 16. Zhu, the No. 8 seed, later lost in the semifinals.
The women’s epee and men’s foil do not feature a team competition at the Olympic Games.
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