A 2003 graduate of Valley Catholic High School in Beaverton, Ore., made an emphatic point at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Mariel Zagunis, one of the world's top-rated fencers, won a gold medal for the United States in saber competition Aug. 17. It was the first time women had competed in the saber event in Olympic history.

Zagunis, 19, almost did not make it to Athens. Her one-point loss against heralded U.S. teammate Sada Jacobsen in an Olympic qualifying match last March seemed to dash her hopes of making the Olympic team.

But when Nigeria withdrew one of its fencers from competition one day in June, the International Fencing Federation could not find another African fencer and turned to the American to fill out the competition. The federation put Zagunis into an Olympic slot she was all too happy to fill.

Zagunis --- who in June won a gold medal at the World Cup Fencing tournament in Germany --- cruised through the final against China's Xue Tan, winning 15-9. Zagunis' teammates picked her up and tossed her skyward in celebration.

Zagunis deferred her first year of college to pursue fencing. This fall, she will begin her first year at the University of Notre Dame.

In addition to attending St. Mary of the Valley and Valley Catholic, Zagunis went to preschool on the campus of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.

Zagunis' parents, Robert and Cathy, both rowed for the U.S. team at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. At age 10, Zagunis followed her brother, Marten, into fencing. She also loves soccer and earned varsity letters at Valley Catholic.

"Our kids have had the opportunity to see and participate in a variety of sports because of our active lifestyle," Cathy Zagunis told the Catholic Sentinel, newspaper of the Portland Archdiocese. "We encouraged them to follow whichever one was interesting to them and that they enjoyed."

junior, cadet and junior team --- in one season.

---CNS