Rebecca Ward facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1990 (age 35) Grand Junction, Colorado, U.S. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebecca Ward (born February 7, 1990) is an American fencer who specialized in the sabre style. She is known for her amazing achievements in the sport. Rebecca won a gold medal at the 2006 World Fencing Championships. She also earned two bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Rebecca made history by winning the women's NCAA national individual sabre championship three times. This was a first for any sabre fencer! In 2015, her incredible career was recognized when she was added to the USA Fencing Hall of Fame.
Contents
About Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward was born in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her parents are Bill and Beth Ward. She also has a brother named William. Rebecca was taught at home for her schooling.
As of July 2025, Rebecca is the head of the Sabre Program Director. She works at the Arlington Fencers' Club in Arlington, Virginia. Before this, she was a senior director at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute until April 2021. She has also lived in Cedar Mill, a town near Portland, Oregon.
Rebecca's Fencing Journey
Rebecca was a member of the Oregon Fencing Alliance (OFA). She trained with famous coaches like Ed Korfanty, Charles Randall, and Jacek Huchwajda. In 2006, she set a record for a female sabre fencer. She won four world titles in one year! These titles included Cadet (for fencers under 17), Junior (under 20), Junior Team, and Senior.
By June 2007, Rebecca was ranked number one in the world. This was for both official and World Cup rankings for senior women's sabre fencers. She was also part of the US Senior World Team. This team won a gold medal at the 2005 World Fencing Championships in Leipzig, Germany.
In July 2007, Rebecca was the top-ranked senior women's sabre fencer in the United States. She also held the top spot on the FIE Rankings. She won the Grand Prix in Las Vegas, showing her dominance in the sport.
College Fencing Success
Rebecca fenced for Duke University while studying. She majored in Public Policy and Psychology. She also earned a certificate in Energy and the Environment. Her coach at Duke was Maître Alex Beguinet.
On March 22, 2009, Rebecca won her first women's NCAA national individual sabre title. She tried to win again in 2010 but lost in the final match. However, on March 27, 2011, she reclaimed her title. She defeated Caroline Vloka in the semifinal and then Eliza Stone of Princeton in the final.
In 2012, Rebecca won her third NCAA championship. She beat Monica Aksamit from Penn State. This made her the first fencer in NCAA history to win three individual sabre titles. Rebecca finished her college career with an amazing record. She won 272 matches and lost only 7. This made her Duke University's all-time wins leader.
2008 Beijing Olympics Experience
Rebecca Ward was one of the top fencers in the individual sabre competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She won her first match when her opponent had to stop due to an injury. Rebecca was leading 12–7 at the time. She then won her next match against Orsolya Nagy of Hungary, 15–5. In the quarterfinals, she had a very close match against Azza Besbes, winning 15–14 with just one final touch.
In the semifinals, Rebecca faced her training partner and defending Olympic champion, Mariel Zagunis. Rebecca lost this match 15–11. Mariel Zagunis went on to win the gold medal. Soon after, Rebecca competed for the bronze medal. She defeated Sofia Velikaya of Russia 15–14. This win meant that American fencers would win all three medals in the individual sabre event.
In the women's sabre team event, the US team was expected to win. Rebecca teamed up with Sada Jacobson and Mariel Zagunis. They easily defeated the South African team in the quarterfinals, 45–8.
However, in the semifinals, they faced Ukraine. The Ukrainian team, who were seeded fifth, surprised everyone by defeating the US team 45–39. This meant the US team would not compete for the gold medal. Instead, they would fence France for the bronze medal.
The US team bounced back from their semifinal loss. They defeated the French team 45–38. Rebecca made the final touch that secured the victory. This earned her a second bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics.
See also
In Spanish: Rebecca Ward para niños
- List of USFA Division I National Champions
- List of NCAA fencing champions
- List of USFA Hall of Fame members
