PORTLAND, Ore. — Magda Skarbonkiewicz started fencing at the age of six. When she was 12, her dad, a former U.S. National Saber Champion himself, asked her if she wanted to fully commit herself to making the Olympics in the future, she said.
Now, at the age of 18, the native Portlander has punched her golden ticket.
Skarbonkiewicz will be headed to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as part of Team USA Fencing's Women's Saber's team. It's her first-ever Olympic appearance.
"I could have never ever done it without the endless, undying support I got from everyone surrounding me," she wrote on social media.
She went on to thank many people, including her dad, Adam Skarbonkiewicz, who is also her coach. He nearly made the 1996 Olympics after qualifying for Team USA, but was unable to convert his Poland citizenship in time.
"I was basically born into fencing," Magda Skarbonkiewicz wrote in her USA Fencing athlete bio.
She's a two-time Junior World Champion and a double Pan American Games Champion.
Magda Skarbonkiewicz's event is the saber, one of the three disciplines of fencing. Each discipline has its own set of rules, equipment and strategy.
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Magda Skarbonkiewicz has committed to the University of Notre Dame. She's part of the fencing club Oregon Fencing Alliance, also home of four-time Olympic medalist Mariel Zagunis.
The Olympic Games in Paris are from Friday, June 26 to Sunday, August 11. You can watch all the action on KGW.
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