Printer-Friendly Format     E-mail this article     Notre Dame sabre standout Mariel Zagunis - to be featured on the Aug. 8 Today Show - will be hoping to bring another gold medal back to Notre Dame, following the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (photo by Mike Bennett).

Sabre standout is 12 months away from defending her gold medal and currently is listed third in the world rankings.

Aug. 6, 2007

Notre Dame fencer Mariel Zagunis - the 2004 Olympic gold medalist who currently is in the midst of a leave of absence from Notre Dame, as she prepares to defend her title - will be featured on the Today Show's "One Year from Beijing" special, to be aired as part of the Today Show on the morning of Wed., Aug. 8. Zagunis has been keeping busy over the past few months as she works towards qualifying and training for the 2008 Olympic Games - before returning to the Notre Dame fencing program for her final year of eligibility in the 2009 spring season.

Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.) has accumulated plenty of fencing honors in addition to her gold medal, including a first-place finish at the 2006 NCAAs (after being the runner-up in 2005). She currently is third in the FIE world rankings, behind American high-schooler Becca Ward and China's Xue Tan.

Note: check back to und.com later in the summer for a complete update on Zagunis and other Notre Dame fencers who have been competing in recent months at tournaments throughout the world.