Sada Jacobson

Sada Molly Jacobson, born on February 14, 1983, is an American Olympic fencer. She has achieved great success in her sport, earning medals in multiple Olympic Games. In the 2008 Olympics, she won a silver medal in the women's sabre event, and in the 2004 Olympics, she secured a bronze medal in the same event. In addition to her Olympic achievements, she also won the gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games in women's sabre.

Jacobson's dedication and skill have made her a prominent figure in the world of fencing. Her accomplishments have inspired many young athletes. In 2016, she was honored by being inducted into the United States Fencing Hall of Fame, recognizing her outstanding contributions to the sport.

Background

Sada Jacobson was born in Rochester, Minnesota. Her parents were both good at fencing, and her sister also competed in fencing for the U.S. Olympic team.

She went to school in Atlanta, Georgia and later studied history at Yale University. She decided to focus all her training for the 2004 Summer Olympics instead of starting college right away.

Fencing career

Sada Jacobson began fencing at a young age with Nellya Fencers and was later coached by Arkady Burdan and Henry Hartunian at Yale University.

She won two NCAA sabre titles for Yale in 2001 and 2002, and was also the 2001 Under-19 National Champion. In 2003, she won the World Junior Fencing Championships in women's sabre.

Jacobson was part of the gold-medal winning team at the 2000 Women's Sabre World Championship when she was only 17 years old. She also won a bronze medal at the 2006 World Fencing Championships. She placed 12th, 5th, and 5th in the individual World Championships from 2001 to 2003.

She won the gold medal in sabre at the 2003 Pan American Games. Jacobson won the US women's sabre championship in 2004 and 2006 and was ranked #1 in the US from June 2003 through October 2005.

In 2004, at age 19, she became the first U.S. woman to be ranked No. 1 in the world in sabre. She won the bronze medal in women's sabre at the 2004 Summer Olympics, becoming the first women's sabre Olympic medalist. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she won the silver medal in individual sabre and a bronze in the team sabre event.

Post-fencing career

After the 2008 Olympic competitions, Sada Jacobson decided to retire from fencing and focus on her studies and personal life. She earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 2011. She married Brendan Brunelle Bâby, who also fenced and won several championships, in May 2009. By 2015, she was working as a lawyer at McKenna Long & Aldridge.

Awards

Sada Jacobson received many awards for her achievements in fencing. In 2002 and 2005, she won the Marty Glickman Award for the Outstanding Jewish Scholastic Athlete of the Year. She was also named Academic All-Ivy League in 2002 and became the U.S. Fencer of the Year in 2003.

Jacobson was honored by being inducted into the U.S. National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, and the United States Fencing Hall of Fame in 2016.