American women looking sharp for Beijing

Rebecca Ward was there with Mariel Zagunis four years ago training at the same renowned Oregon fencing club, watching the development of the 2004 Olympic gold medalist in women's sabre.

Sada Jacobson also had a close-up view -- at the competition in Athens. She stood on the medals stand wearing the bronze while Zagunis took the big prize.

But this August in Beijing, Zagunis might have difficulty keeping Ward or Jacobson off the top step.

Jacobson entered the Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Tropicana ranked No. 1 in the world, with Ward at No. 2 and Zagunis fifth. Ward reclaimed the top spot after winning Friday's event, meaning she will take the No. 1 seed into Beijing, and all three Americans will make the trip.

Even if Ward had stayed at No. 2, she might be the one to beat later this summer. She held the top spot before Jacobson overtook her by defeating Zagunis at the FIE World Championships this month in Havana. Ward did not compete.

But Ward has done more than simply show up at other competitions, winning the 2006 World Championships.

"There are so many competitions throughout the year that I've done well at, but the World Championships are definitely a level above that," said Ward, who will attend Duke days after returning from Beijing.

"It gave me a little burst of confidence, but that was two years ago and fencing has changed a lot. The competitors have changed a lot. So as nice as that was, I'm still training hard and still practicing hard to go into Beijing."

Jacobson is no slouch, either.

In addition to winning the bronze at the 2004 Games, she won national titles in 2004 and 2006, was United States Fencer of the Year in 2003 and an individual NCAA championships in 2001 and 2002 while competing for Yale.

She received the Marty Glickman Award for Outstanding Jewish Scholastic Athletes of the Year in 2002 and 2005, given by the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

"That was very special to me because I felt like I was in the company of some really amazing, not just athletes, but people," Jacobson said.

While Jacobson and Ward are the favorites, they know they can't overlook the rest of the field. And they know what Zagunis is capable of pulling off.

Zagunis became the first American to win the Junior World Championship when she took the title in 2002, then followed with victories the following two years before scoring gold in Athens. Zagunis also won the individual NCAA title in 2006 while at Notre Dame.

No doubt, all three fencers give the U.S. a decided edge in the team competition going into the Olympics.

"If we're all fencing strongly and we're communicating well that day, I think we can be unbeatable," Jacobson said. "Also, the reverse is true. If one or two or three of us are not fencing well, we can easily lose because all these other teams that will be competing are so strong.

"It's a sport where upsets happen. They're more the rule than the exception."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.