Rebecca Ward facts for kids
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| Born | February 7, 1990 (age 35) Grand Junction, Colorado, U.S. |
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Rebecca Ward (born February 7, 1990) is an American fencer who specializes in the sabre style. She is known for her impressive 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. These medals were for both individual and team sabre events. She made history by winning the women's NCAA national individual sabre championship three times. This was a first for any sabre fencer. In 2015, she was honored by being added to the USA Fencing Hall of Fame.
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About Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward was born on February 7, 1990, 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.
Today, Rebecca is the head of the Saber Program Director. She works for the Arlington Fencers' Club in Arlington, Virginia. Before this, she was a senior director at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute. She has also lived in Cedar Mill, a town near Portland, Oregon.
Rebecca's Fencing Journey
Rebecca Ward was a member of the Oregon Fencing Alliance (OFA). She trained with coaches like Ed Korfanty and Jacek Huchwajda. In 2006, she won a record number of world titles for a female sabre fencer. These titles included Cadet (Under 17), Junior (Under 20), Junior Team, and Senior championships.
By June 2007, Rebecca was ranked number one in the world. This was for both official and World Cup rankings in senior women's sabre. She was also part of the US Senior World Team. This team won the gold medal at the 2005 World Fencing Championships in Germany. In July 2007, she was the top-ranked senior women's sabre fencer in the United States. She also held the top spot on the FIE World Rankings.
College Fencing Success
Rebecca fenced for Duke University while she was a student there. She studied Public Policy and Psychology. She also earned a certificate in Energy and the Environment. On March 22, 2009, she won her first women's NCAA national individual sabre title.
She did not win the title in 2010, losing in the final match. However, on March 27, 2011, Rebecca won her title back. She defeated Caroline Vloka in the semifinal. Then, she beat Eliza Stone of Princeton to win the gold medal. In 2012, she won her third NCAA championship. She defeated Monica Aksamit from Penn State. This made her the first person to win three individual sabre titles in NCAA history.
Rebecca finished her college fencing career at Duke with an amazing record. She won 272 matches and lost only 7. This made her the school's all-time leader in wins.
Rebecca at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Rebecca Ward was one of the top fencers in the individual sabre competition. She won her first match when her opponent had to stop due to an injury. Rebecca was ahead 12-7 at that time. She then won her next match 15-5. In the quarterfinals, she won a very close match 15-14.
In the semifinals, Rebecca faced Mariel Zagunis. Mariel was the defending Olympic champion. Rebecca lost this match 15-11 to Mariel. Mariel went on to win the gold medal. Soon after, Rebecca competed for the bronze medal. She won this match 15-14 against Russia's Sofia Velikaya. This win meant that American fencers would win all three medals in the individual sabre event.
In the women's team sabre event, the US team was expected to win. Rebecca teamed up with Sada Jacobson and Mariel Zagunis. They easily beat the South African team 45-8 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, they fenced against Ukraine. Ukraine was ranked fifth in the tournament. They surprised everyone by beating the US team 45-39. This meant the US team could not win the gold medal. They then had to fence France for the bronze medal.
The US team bounced back from their loss. They defeated the French team 45-38. Rebecca made the final touch to secure the win. This earned her a second bronze medal at the Olympics.
See also
- List of USFA Division I National Champions
- List of NCAA fencing champions
- List of USFA Hall of Fame members
