Photo Credit:Oscar Margain
Lee Kiefer secured her second consecutive gold medal in women's foil fencing at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with her teammate Lauren Scruggs taking the silver, making history as the first Black fencer to win an Olympic medal in an individual women’s event for the United States. This all-American final marked a significant milestone in U.S. fencing history.
Kiefer's dominant 15-6 victory over Scruggs was celebrated with a joyful pirouette down the piste. Reflecting on the match, Kiefer mentioned that knowing the U.S. anthem would play regardless of the outcome "took the pressure off." The atmosphere at the Grand Palais, filled with a vocal crowd, contrasted sharply with the empty venue in Chiba, Japan, where Kiefer won her first Olympic gold three years ago amid pandemic
restrictions.
Kiefer dedicated her win to her late coach Buckie Leach, who passed away in a motorcycle accident shortly after coaching her to gold in Tokyo. "He would be so happy for me," Kiefer said, adding that she keeps a picture of him on her wall in the Olympic village.
This victory makes Kiefer the second U.S. fencer to win back-to-back golds in the same event, following Mariel Zagunis in 2004 and 2008. Kiefer acknowledged Zagunis’s support, saying, "Mariel has been a crucial person in keeping me feeling important and empowered these past years."
Lauren Scruggs' silver medal marks a rapid ascent in the fencing world for the 21-year-old Harvard student from Queens, New York. Scruggs, reflecting on her achievement, expressed a mix of disbelief and gratitude. "I'm definitely more happy than disappointed," she said. "I think that it was shocking for me to be here in the first place."
Scruggs hopes her success will inspire young Black fencers, showing them "that they have a place in the sport." She encouraged those in communities where fencing is less common to pursue their passions despite societal norms.
Kiefer and Scruggs' achievements come amid a significant U.S. presence in Olympic fencing. Eleanor Harvey became the first Canadian to win an Olympic fencing medal, taking bronze, while Japan's Koki Kano and Egypt's Mohamed Elsayed also made notable podium finishes in other events.
Kiefer is part of a celebrated Olympic couple with her husband, Gerek Meinhardt, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist in men's foil. Both are medical students at the University of Kentucky, taking leave from their studies to chase Olympic dreams.
Scruggs' mentor, Peter Westbrook, who became the first Black American to win an Olympic fencing medal in 1984, expressed pride in her accomplishments. Westbrook, battling Stage 4 liver cancer, believes Scruggs' journey will inspire many young girls of color.
