Sada Jacobson
Encyclopedia
Sada Molly Jacobson (born February 14, 1983 in Rochester
, Minnesota
) is an American fencer
. Her hometown is Dunwoody, GA. She is the 2008 Olympic Individual Sabre silver medalist and 2004 Olympic Individual Sabre bronze medalist
. She has been training at Nellya fencers from a young age.
She is the sister of fellow U.S. Olympic team fencer Emily Jacobson
and world-class fencer Jackie Jacobson.
Jacobson swam competitively for 2 years in high school. She postponed her college career to train full-time for the 2004 Summer Olympics
.
She graduated the Westminster Schools in 2000. She graduated with a history degree from Morse College
, Yale University
. She studied history at Yale University. She began law school
at the University of Michigan
in the fall of 2008.
She has been coached by Arkady Burdan of Nellya Fencers, and Henry Hartunian at Yale.
(2001 and 2002). She won an NCAA Championship and earned 1st-team All-America honors as a freshman at Yale, after a 30–0 regular season. Jacobson was 29–1 as a sophomore, and repeated as NCAA champion. In addition, she was the 2001 Under-19 National Champion.
sabre competition.
In her first individual World Championships in 2001, Jacobson placed 12th. She placed 5th in 2002 and 2003.
She was ranked # 1 in the US from June 2003 through October 2005.
, and only the second U.S. athlete to claim the title, after male fencer Keeth Smart
.
and qualified for the U.S. Olympic
team. That year was the first in which women's individual sabre was contested at an Olympic Games
.
At the Olympics, Jacobson beat Miclin Faez 15–4, in the round of 16. She beat Leonore Perrus in the quarterfinals 15–11 to advance to the semifinals. She lost to # 5 seed Tan Xue
15–12 in the semis. On August 17, she won the bronze medal
by beating Catalina Gheorhitoaia 15–7. That match took place before the gold-silver match, and therefore Jacobsen became the first women's sabre Olympic medalist.
, Jacobson was named the top seed. She beat Mailyn González
, 15–11, in the round of 32. In the round of 16, she trailed Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan
8–5, but came back to win 15–13. In the quarterfinals, she beat Elena Khomrova 15–11.
Entering the semifinals, all three American fencers were still in the tournament. In the semifinals, Jacobson again trailed 8–5 at the break, but came back with 10 out of the final 13 touches in the bout, and defeated Sofiya Velikaya 15–11, assuring Jacobson of at least the silver medal. In the final, Jacobson lost to defending gold medalist, Mariel Zagunis
, 15–8, and won the silver medal. The United States swept the event, with Zagunis winning the gold, Jacobson the silver, and Rebecca Ward
the bronze.
When the three medal winners finished their group hug, a gentleman in the front row, moved by the show of emotion, reached into his pocket and produce a neatly folded white handkerchief, handing it down to Jacobson. Her silver medal still hanging around her neck by a bright red ribbon, she laughed, dabbed her eyes and handed it back. The man laughed with her and dabbed his own eyes. Moments later Jacobson thought, "Maybe I should have kept it." But by then the hanky, full of her tears, was back in the pocket of former president George H.W. Bush.
In the women's sabre team event, the US was heavily favored to win the team event. Jacobson teamed up with Zagunis and Ward to defeat the South African team in the quarterfinals, 45–8. In the semifinals, they fenced the team from the Ukraine. The Ukrainians, seeded fifth, defeated the favored US team 45–39, denying them a gold medal, and placing them in the bronze medal bout against France.
The USA team rebounded from their semifinal loss by defeating the French team 45–38, so Jacobson had a bronze medal to go with her silver medal from the individual competition.
where he competed in épée and was a member of three NCAA championship teams, were married in May 2009 in Atlanta at the Nellya Fencers Club, where she had trained for both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
) is an American fencer
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
. Her hometown is Dunwoody, GA. She is the 2008 Olympic Individual Sabre silver medalist and 2004 Olympic Individual Sabre bronze medalist
Fencing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Fencing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Fencing Hall at the Helliniko Olympic Complex. Ten gold medals were awarded in individual and team events further divided into three styles of fencing: épée, foil and sabre....
. She has been training at Nellya fencers from a young age.
Background
Jacobson is a daughter of David Jacobson, a member of the 1974 U.S. National fencing team in saber and now an endocrinologist, and Tina Jacobson, who has also fenced competitively.She is the sister of fellow U.S. Olympic team fencer Emily Jacobson
Emily Jacobson
Emily Phillipa Jacobson is an American sabre fencer.-Background:Jacobson is a daughter of David Jacobson, a member of the 1974 U.S. National fencing team in saber and also a former Yale fencer, and Tina Jacobson, who has also fenced competitively.She is the younger sister of fellow U.S...
and world-class fencer Jackie Jacobson.
Jacobson swam competitively for 2 years in high school. She postponed her college career to train full-time for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
.
She graduated the Westminster Schools in 2000. She graduated with a history degree from Morse College
Morse College
Morse College is one of the twelve residential colleges at Yale University, built in 1961 and designed by Eero Saarinen. It is adjacent to Ezra Stiles College. The current Master is Frank Keil, Professor of Psychology and Professor of Linguistics. The Associate Master is Kristi Lockhart...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. She studied history at Yale University. She began law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the fall of 2008.
She has been coached by Arkady Burdan of Nellya Fencers, and Henry Hartunian at Yale.
College & Under-19 career
Jacobson was a 2-time NCAA sabre champion for Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(2001 and 2002). She won an NCAA Championship and earned 1st-team All-America honors as a freshman at Yale, after a 30–0 regular season. Jacobson was 29–1 as a sophomore, and repeated as NCAA champion. In addition, she was the 2001 Under-19 National Champion.
Senior World Championships
Jacobson is a 4-time Senior World Championships team member (2000–03). She was a member of the gold-medal 2000 Women's Sabre World Championship team at the age of 17. She won another bronze medal at the 2006 World Fencing Championships2006 World Fencing Championships
The 2006 World Fencing Championships were held at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy. The event took place from September 29 to October 7, 2006.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:*...
sabre competition.
In her first individual World Championships in 2001, Jacobson placed 12th. She placed 5th in 2002 and 2003.
National Championships
Jacobson won the US women's sabre championship in 2004 and 2006.She was ranked # 1 in the US from June 2003 through October 2005.
Number 1 World Ranking
In 2004 she became the first U.S. woman to be ranked No. 1 in the world in sabreSabre (fencing)
The sabre is one of the three weapons of modern sport fencing, and is alternatively spelled saber in American English. The sabre differs from the other modern fencing weapons, the épée and foil, in that it is possible to score with the edge of the blade; for this reason, sabreur movements and...
, and only the second U.S. athlete to claim the title, after male fencer Keeth Smart
Keeth Smart
Keeth Thomas Smart is a US sabre fencer who became the first American to gain the sport's #1 ranking for males. He received a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.-Early life and education:...
.
2004 Athens Olympics
In 2004, she took a leave of absence from Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and qualified for the U.S. Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
team. That year was the first in which women's individual sabre was contested at an Olympic Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
.
At the Olympics, Jacobson beat Miclin Faez 15–4, in the round of 16. She beat Leonore Perrus in the quarterfinals 15–11 to advance to the semifinals. She lost to # 5 seed Tan Xue
Tan Xue
Tan Xue is a female Chinese fencer who won silver medals in the Sabre Individual at the 2004 Summer Olympics and in the Team Sabre at the 2008 Summer Olympics....
15–12 in the semis. On August 17, she won the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
by beating Catalina Gheorhitoaia 15–7. That match took place before the gold-silver match, and therefore Jacobsen became the first women's sabre Olympic medalist.
2008 Beijing Olympics
At the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, Jacobson was named the top seed. She beat Mailyn González
Mailyn González
Mailyn González Pozo is a female fencer from Cuba. She competed for her native country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the sabre competition, and won two gold medals at the 2007 Pan American Games.-References:*...
, 15–11, in the round of 32. In the round of 16, she trailed Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan
Olga Kharlan
Olga Kharlan is a Ukrainian fencer and member of the team which won the gold medal in sabre at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
8–5, but came back to win 15–13. In the quarterfinals, she beat Elena Khomrova 15–11.
Entering the semifinals, all three American fencers were still in the tournament. In the semifinals, Jacobson again trailed 8–5 at the break, but came back with 10 out of the final 13 touches in the bout, and defeated Sofiya Velikaya 15–11, assuring Jacobson of at least the silver medal. In the final, Jacobson lost to defending gold medalist, Mariel Zagunis
Mariel Zagunis
Mariel Leigh Zagunis is an American Olympic sabre fencer, of Lithuanian heritage. She won the gold medals in the individual sabre at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics. She is only the second American ever to have won a gold medal in Olympic fencing.-Biography:Zagunis is the...
, 15–8, and won the silver medal. The United States swept the event, with Zagunis winning the gold, Jacobson the silver, and Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward
Rebecca "Becca" Ward is an American sabre fencer. She won the gold medal at the sabre 2006 World Fencing Championships after beating Mariel Zagunis 15-11 in the final, and took bronze in both individual and team sabre events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.-History:A member of the Oregon Fencing...
the bronze.
When the three medal winners finished their group hug, a gentleman in the front row, moved by the show of emotion, reached into his pocket and produce a neatly folded white handkerchief, handing it down to Jacobson. Her silver medal still hanging around her neck by a bright red ribbon, she laughed, dabbed her eyes and handed it back. The man laughed with her and dabbed his own eyes. Moments later Jacobson thought, "Maybe I should have kept it." But by then the hanky, full of her tears, was back in the pocket of former president George H.W. Bush.
In the women's sabre team event, the US was heavily favored to win the team event. Jacobson teamed up with Zagunis and Ward to defeat the South African team in the quarterfinals, 45–8. In the semifinals, they fenced the team from the Ukraine. The Ukrainians, seeded fifth, defeated the favored US team 45–39, denying them a gold medal, and placing them in the bronze medal bout against France.
The USA team rebounded from their semifinal loss by defeating the French team 45–38, so Jacobson had a bronze medal to go with her silver medal from the individual competition.
Post-fencing career
Jacobson indicated that she intended to retire from competitive fencing after the 2008 Olympic competitions concluded, and focus on law school, and starting life with her fiance. She began her studies at Michigan Law School in 2008. She and Brendan Brunelle Bâby, who graduated from Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
where he competed in épée and was a member of three NCAA championship teams, were married in May 2009 in Atlanta at the Nellya Fencers Club, where she had trained for both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Awards
- Jacobson, who is Jewish, received the Marty GlickmanMarty GlickmanMartin "Marty" Glickman was a Jewish American track and field athlete and sports announcer, born in The Bronx, New York. His parents, Harry and Molly Glickmann, immigrated to the United States from Jassy, Romania....
Award for the Outstanding Jewish Scholastic Athlete of the Year in both 2002 and 2005.
- She was also named Academic All-Ivy LeagueIvy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
for the spring of 2002.
- In 2003 Jacobson was named the U.S. Fencer of the Year.
- In 2003, she was inducted in the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, which recognizes outstanding Jewish athletes.
External links
- Olympic results
- Rankings
- CNN: Olympic fencer inspires new generation
- National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame bio
- Jewish Heroes and Heroines of America from World War II to the Present: A Judaica Collection Exhibit; Sada Jacobson: Fencing Champion; by Seymour “Sy” Brody
- Jewish Virtual Library bio
- Jewish Heroes and Heroines of America from World War II to the Present: Sada Jacobson: Fencing Champion
- "Edge of Greatness"
- 2005 interview