Most people will say that their sports role model is from one of the big 4 in the United States or Association Football. My role model is from none of these sports. Her name is Mariel Zagunis and she is an Olympic fencer. She will forever be known as the first American, not the first female American, but the first American to ever win gold in the sport. She won back to back individual gold medals in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) in her discipline of the sabre. She is the most decorated athlete in the history of USA fencing. She is the sole reason I decided to join fencing when I was in middle school. I joined my local community program and was instantly hooked. It’s a sport that I hold dear to my heart even though I have not been able to participate since I was 17 years old. Everyone usually watches swimming, beach volleyball, or track and field when the summer Olympics come around. Those are the sports that are televised nationally, but I will always find a way to watch the fencing events. It is a sport that has taught me how to face adversity, comradery, and sportsmanship. Everything I have learned through my fencing career, stems down to one woman, one athlete who inspired me to try something new.
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