Ward Advances To Semifinals Of Individual Saber

BEIJING - Incoming Duke freshman Rebecca Ward advanced to the semifinals of the individual saber event at the XXIX Summer Olympic Games here at the Fencing Center.

Just as the closing ceremonies were wrapping up on the east coast, Ward began the competition seeded No. 2 overall. After a Round of 64 bye, Ward defeated Araceli Navarro of Spain 12-7 after Navarro had to default because of a shoulder injury.

Ward then looked unstoppable in the Round of 32, defeating Hungary's Orsolya Nagy, 15-5, in the most lopsided match-up of the round. After falling behind 8-5 at the minute break against Aaaz Besbes from Tunisia, she fought back to take a 14-12 lead before finally holding Besbes off with a 15-14 win.

She now has about six hours to rest before the semifinals. Three Americans are among the final four competitors and she will face fellow Portalnd, Ore., native, and defending Gold medalist Mariel Zagunis in the semifinals. The third American, seeded No. 1 overall, Sada Jacobson, will face Russia's Sofiya Velikaya in the other semifinal. Both semifinals will take place at 7:20 a.m. ET.

The medal match-ups will then take place at 7:50 a.m. ET.

Saturday's Olympic Fencing Results

Women's Fencing Individual Sabre

Round of 64

Mailyn Gonzalez Pozo, Cuba, def. Nafi Toure, Senegal, 15-7.
Halyna Pundyk, Ukraine, def. Adele du Plooy, South Africa, 15-7.
Alexandra Bujdoso, Germany, def. Julie Cloutier, Canada, 15-2.
Irena Wieckowska, Poland, def. Siobhan Claire Byrne, Ireland, 15-8.
Sandra Sassine, Canada, def. Elvira Wood, South Africa, 15-2.
Azza Besbes, Tunisia, def. Jyoti Chetty, South Africa, 15-2.
Araceli Navarro, Spain, def. Angelica Larios, Mexico, 15-4.

Round of 32

Sada Jacobson, Dunwoody, Ga., def. Mailyn Gonzalez Pozo, Cuba, 15-11.
Olga Kharlan, Ukraine, def. Gioia Marzocca, Italy, 15-8.
Ekaterina Dyachenko, Russia, def. Madoka Hisagae, Japan, 15-10.
Olena Khomrova, Ukraine, def. Aleksandra Socha, Poland, 15-11.
Sofiya Velikaya, Russia, def. Halyna Pundyk, Ukraine, 15-7.
Ilaria Bianco, Italy, def. Huang Haiyang, China, 15-12.
Kim Keumhwa, South Korea, def. Carole Vergne, France, 15-14.
Tan Xue, China, def. Alexandra Bujdoso, Germany, 15-6.
Irena Wieckowska, Poland, def. Elena Nechaeva, Russia, 15-12.
Bao Yingying, China, def. Tsz Ki Chow, Hong Kong, 15-5.
Bogna Jozwiak, Poland, def. Alejandra Benitez Romero, Venezuela, 15-11.
Mariel Zagunis, Portland, Ore., def. Sandra Sassine, Canada, 15-10.
Azza Besbes, Tunisia, def. Leonore Perrus, France, 15-11.
Olga Ovtchinnikova, Canada, def. Lee Shinmi, South Korea, 15-13.
Orsolya Nagy, Hungary, def. Anne-Lise Touya, France, 15-13.
Becca Ward, Portland, Ore., def. Araceli Navarro, Spain, 12-7 DNF.

Round of 16

Sada Jacobson, Dunwoody, Ga., def. Olga Kharlan, Ukraine, 15-13.
Olena Khomrova, Ukraine, def. Ekaterina Dyachenko, Russia, 15-14.
Sofiya Velikaya, Russia, def. Ilaria Bianco, Italy, 15-6.
Tan Xue, China, def. Kim Keumhwa, South Korea, 15-8.
Bao Yingying, China, def. Irena Wieckowska, Poland, 15-6.
Mariel Zagunis, Portland, Ore., def. Bogna Jozwiak, Poland, 15-13.
Azza Besbes, Tunisia, def. Olga Ovtchinnikova, Canada, 15-12.
Becca Ward, Portland, Ore., def. Orsolya Nagy, Hungary, 15-5.

Quarterfinals

Sada Jacobson, Dunwoody, Ga., def. Olena Khomrova, Ukraine, 15-11.
Sofiya Velikaya, Russia, def. Tan Xue, China, 15-9.
Mariel Zagunis, Portland, Ore., def. Bao Yingying, China, 15-9.
Becca Ward, Portland, Ore., def. Azza Besbes, Tunisia, 15-14.

Ward Advances To Semifinals Of Individual Saber

Duke information