Lee Kiefer secured her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in foil fencing, while her teammate Lauren Scruggs made history as the first Black woman from the United States to win an individual Olympic medal in fencing. Kiefer triumphed with a 15-6 victory over Scruggs, celebrating with a joyful pirouette down the piste. Kiefer noted that knowing the U.S. national anthem would play regardless of the winner eased the pressure of the competition.
The enthusiastic atmosphere at the Grand Palais in Paris contrasted sharply with the quiet venue in Chiba, Japan, where Kiefer claimed her first Olympic gold three years earlier under pandemic restrictions. She dedicated her latest victory to her late coach, Buckie Leach, who had guided her to gold in Tokyo but tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident shortly after.
Kiefer’s gold marks the fifth time a U.S. fencer has won an individual event at the Olympics. She joins Mariel Zagunis as the only American fencers to win gold twice in the same event, with Zagunis having achieved her victories in 2004 and 2008. Kiefer expressed gratitude to Zagunis for her support and encouragement over the years.
This event marked the first all-American Olympic fencing final since 2008, when Zagunis and Sada Jacobson competed in saber, resulting in a podium sweep for the U.S. Before that, the last all-U.S. final occurred in 1904.
Scruggs, a 21-year-old Harvard student from Queens, New York, expressed her surprise and gratitude at reaching the final, describing the experience as “shocking” and “insane.” She hopes her achievement will inspire young Black fencers, showing them they have a place in the sport.
Kiefer’s husband, Gerek Meinhardt, is also an accomplished fencer, having won two Olympic bronze medals in men’s foil. The couple, both medical students at the University of Kentucky, are taking time off from their studies to pursue their Olympic aspirations.
In other fencing events, Eleanor Harvey made history as the first Canadian to win an Olympic fencing medal, defeating Italy’s Alice Volpi to claim the bronze. Japan’s Koki Kano won the men’s epee gold medal, while Egypt’s Mohamed Elsayed secured bronze in a closely contested match against Hungary’s Tibor Andrasfi.
