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    Mariel Zagunis headed back to the Olympics in 2012

    By Sylvie Branch | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Tue, Jul 19, 2011
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
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    Fencing superstar, Mariel Leigh Zagunis is headed to London for the 2012 Olympics. She is far from a newbie though. Not only has she been to the big show twice before, she made history at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece by becoming the first U.S. fencer in 100 years to win an Olympic gold medal and the first Olympic gold medalist for women's saber which made its debut that year. As a woman athlete on a much, much smaller scale, I appreciate the hard path she is taking as she makes her way in the world of sports.

    Background

    Born in Beaverton, Oregon in 1985, Mariel comes by her Olympic success honestly, both her parents were part the 1976 U.S. Olympic rowing team. Ever since she can remember, Mariel wanted to go to the Olympics so once she found fencing at age 10, she knew that was the sport that would take her there. Her older brother is also to thank since he was the one who initially wanted to try sword fighting like he saw in the movies.

    New York Saber World Cup

    Mariel won her first World Cup medal of the Olympic qualifying season. She took home silver in the June 2011 event and is one of four U.S. athletes to place in the top 16.

    Mariel says, "Fencing is a very difficult competition because our event is all in one day and if you lose, you are out. So you really need to be ready on the day of competition, and you never know who will be having an 'on' day."

    Hobbies

    Aside from fencing, Mariel Zagunis likes to stay active outside of the gym, likes pop music like Maroon 5, Adele and Da Natural and like many of us, she enjoys Facebook. You can join her Facebook fan page to stay up to date on her active life leading up to the Olympic games.

    Fencing role model and representative of the U.S.

    Mariel went to Notre Dame college majoring in anthropology. She was named Notre Dame's Athlete of the Decade in 2010 and is a recipient of the Chevelier Feyerick Trophy given by the International Fencing Federation. This distinctive award is bestowed upon the person that person that best represents sportsmanship and fair play. Whether you are a fan of the sport or not, Mariel is truly a role model for fencing's future and will be one to watch in 2012 as a strong representative of the United States at the London Olympic games.

    References:

    USA Fencing

    Mariel Zagunis Official Website

     

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