Zagunis repeats as champion in sabre, leading U.S. medal sweep

After becoming the first American in a century to capture an Olympic fencing gold medal when she won the women's sabre competition in 2004 in Athens, Mariel Zagunis of Beaverton, Ore., became the first U.S. athlete to secure a gold medal in Beijing, defending her title with a 15-8 victory over fellow American Sada Jacobson (Dunwoody, Ga.).

Another Beaverton resident, Becca Ward, took the bronze, giving the U.S. the sweep and an Olympic-leading three medals following the first day of competition.

The second-seeded Ward rebounded from a 15-11 semifinal setback to Zagunis -- her fencing club teammate in Oregon -- and a 6-1 deficit against Russia's Sofiya Velikaya to rally for a thrilling 15-14 victory in the third-place match.

Jacobson, the tournament's top seed, defeated No. 6 Velikaya 15-11 in the semifinals to assure herself a medal for the second consecutive Olympics, following a bronze in 2004. But the 23-year-old Zagunis, the No. 5 seed, built an 8-4 lead after one period en route to her most lopsided victory of the tournament.

Zagunis defeated former world champion Tan Xue of China 15-9 in the 2004 final.

Only three other female fencers have ever repeated as Olympic champions, but Zagunis is the first in the sabre competition, since it was introduced for the first time in 2004 in Athens.

Hungary's Ilona Elek-Schacherer accomplished the feat in the foil discipline in 1936 and 1948, an achievement matched by Italy's Valentina Vezzali in 2000 and 2004.

In the women's individual epee, only Hungary's Timea Nagy (2000 and '04) has repeated as Olympic champion.

Four men have repeated as individual sabre gold medalist, the most recent being France's Jean-Francois Lamour in 1984 and '88.