Dunwoody woman part of Olympic sweep
by Brian Egeston
be@brianwrites.com
Jacobson |
With all due respect to Michael Phelps and the U.S. Men’s Basketball team, Sada Jacobson of Dunwoody will be bringing a silver medal to the Peach State.
Jacobson finished second in the Women’s Individual Sabre fencing competion at the Olympic Games in Beijing. She was part of a U.S. sweep in the women’s saber event. Teammates Mariel Zagunis and Becca Ward won gold and bronze, respectively. The Westminster grad advanced through four rounds before competing in the gold medal match against fellow U.S. fencing teammate Zagunis.
“Mariel and I are pretty used to fencing each other. She out-fenced me, and she earned it,” said Jacobson during a press conference after the event.
The triple threat earned the first three medals for the U.S. in China and gave the Americans the overall medal lead after the first day of competition.
A three-medal sweep has its advantages, mainly a meeting with a former U.S. president. “I was in doping control, and they asked if I could hurry up because President [G.H.W.] Bush was here,” said Jacobson. “It was just one of those surreal Olympic experiences. When I met him I was tearing up from the medal ceremony and he gave me his handkerchief.”
Jacobson captured the bronze in 2004 at Athens and was the top seed in this year’s competition but lost to Zagunis in the final, 8-15. Jacobson was a member of the Yale Varsity Fencing Team while in college, where she won two NCAA Championship titles in women’s saber during 2001 and 2002.
Jacobson is a daughter of David Jacobson, a member of the 1974 U.S. National fencing team. Her sister Emily was a first team All-American fencer for three seasons at Columbia, where she finished first in the NCAA Championships in 2005, second in 2006, third in 2007. Emily was a member of the 2004 United States Olympic Team. Another sister, Jackie, was ranked 32nd nationally in senior women’s sabre. |
