BEAVERTON, Ore. -- With two Olympic gold medals under her belt, Mariel Zagunis is the most accomplished sabre fencers in U.S. history.
You would think some travel perks come along with that. But as Zagunis found out last week that’s not always the case.
She flew a commercial airline from Portland, Oregon to Warsaw, Poland for a training camp in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio.
Zagunis made it to Poland, but her custom-made Olympic bag, containing all of her Olympic gear, did not.
She was hoping to break in her gear before Rio.
Her mother, Cathy Zagunis, stepped in to find the luggage. She called the airlines, but for two days, no one could find the items.
“They had no idea where they were,” said Cathy. “I knew this needed a little more ‘oomph’ put to it.”
So Cathy went to PDX and pleaded with airline workers to track down her daughter’s bag. Finally, a United Airlines employee named Kate found the missing gear and rushed it to Mariel in Poland.
“It took some hours and work but it had a happy ending,” Cathy said.
Mariel Zagunis will try to win her third Olympic gold medal in sabre fencing during the Olympic Games in Rio. You can watch the Olympic Games on KGW Aug. 5-21.
Road to Rio, Mariel Zagunis, fencing
Photos: Mariel Zagunis