Mariel Zagunis

Mariel Zagunis is the world’s best fencer, and she knows it.  The two-time defending gold medalist doesn’t lose to opponents, she only beats herself.  After blowing a 12-5 lead against South Korea’s Kim Jiyeon in the semi-final of the individual women’s sabre, she went on to lose the bronze medal match, but don’t give her opponents too much credit.  “Pretty much all my mistakes cost me the bout,” Zagunis said (as per the Washington Post), adding that any bout she ever lost had less to do with the skill, smarts and perseverance of her opponents than it was “my lack of concentration.”  “Congrats to them for winning, [but] in my opinion, if I was completely 100 percent on mentally, then I would have been able to win again. It’s happened to me before.”  You tell ‘em, sista!