Zagunis (L) of the United States competes against her teammate Becca Ward during the women's individual saber semifinal 2 at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, in Beijing, China, August 9, 2008. Zagunis beat Ward in the bout.

Mariel Zagunis, the Athens Olympic champion in woman's saber, defended her title and won the first gold medal for the United States at the Beijing Games on Saturday.

Zagunis beat her teammate Sada Jocobason 15-8.

The bronze medal went to another US fencer Becca Ward after she edged out Sofiya Velikaya from Russia 15-14.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)