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Sada Jacobson

(1983 - )

Sada Molly Jacobson is a Jewish American fencer and two-time Olympic medalist.

Jacobson (born February 14, 1983) is the daughter of David Jacobson, a member of the 1974 U.S. National fencing team. Sada began fencing competitively at the relatively-late age of 15 but within two years, she was a member of the U.S. National team. In her first individual World Championships in 2001, Jacobson placed 12th - she then placed fifth in 2002 and 2003. In 2000, at the age of 17, Sada helped the U.S. team capture the gold medal in the team saber competition.

After graduating high school in 2000, Jacobson attended Yale University, graduating with a history degree. At Yale, she was a two-time NCAA saber champion and compiled a record of 59-1 in collegiate competition. She was the first American woman to reach a No. 1 world ranking in fencing. In 2003, she was gold medalist at the Titan Games and also won two World Cup events, including the Grand Prix in New York. That year, Jacobson was also named the U.S. Fencer of the Year. In 2002, and again in 2005 while back at Yale, Jacobson won the Marty Glickman Award for the Outstanding Jewish Scholastic Athlete of the Year. In 2003, she was inducted in the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

For the 2004 Olympics, Jacobson took a leave of absence from Yale and qualified for the U.S. team in the first year that women's individual sabre was an event at the games. On August 17, Jacobson beat Catalina Gheorhitoaia 15-7 to capture the bronze medal.

At the 2008 Olympics, Jacobson was named the top seed in sabre and eventually won the silver medal. She also took home a bronze medal for team sabre.


Sources: Jews In Sports; Wikipedia