COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The U.S. Olympic Committee today announced fencer Rebecca Ward as one of its October Athletes of the Month.
On October 2, Ward became the youngest ever Fencing World Champion at 16 years of age. Ward (Beaverton, Ore.) defeated teammate and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Mariel Zagunis by a score of 15-11 for the world championships gold.
Ward also became the first fencer in history to get the triple crown by winning the Cadet, Junior, and Senior World Championship titles in a single season. She won the World Under-17 and World Under-20 titles in April. This is the first time a United States fencer has won the individual women’s sabre World Championship medal. Mariel Zagunis and Rebecca Ward share the same coach (Ed Korfanty) and are members of the Oregon Fencing Alliance, in Beaverton, Ore.