Sports

Olympian With Local Ties to be U.S. Flag Bearer at Opening Ceremony

The Olympic Opening Ceremony will be held tonight, Friday.

Olympian Mariel Zagunis, the granddaughter of a Plum resident, will be the U.S. flag bearer at the Olympic Opening Ceremony Friday night.

A fencer, Zagunis, 27, is competing in her third Olympics. Zagunis made her debut as a sabre fencer in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, and won the first Olympic Gold medal for an American fencer in 100 years. She also earned a gold at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics in China.

Just earlier this week, , Zagunis' grandmother and Longwood at Oakmont resident, said she hoped her granddaughter would have the opportunity to participate in the Opening Ceremony.

Find out what's happening in Plum-Oakmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Her events were always first, so she would be training," Menges said.

Zagunis gushed about the "surreal" honor on her Facebook and Twitter pages when she heard the news.

Find out what's happening in Plum-Oakmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I am speechless, excited, proud beyond belief to represent my country and my sport with this amazing honor," she wrote.

The Opening Ceremony will air at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.

________________

Plum-Oakmont Patch is on Facebook and on Twitter. Don't forget to sign up for our daily email newsletter by clicking here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here