American Lee Kiefer clinches her second consecutive women’s foil gold medal
If France isn’t exactly the birthplace of fencing, it’s close — this country’s passion for swordplay dates back to King Charles IX in the 16th century.
But on Sunday evening at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it was two Americans who claimed possession of the sport, charging into the finals of the women’s foil competition at the storied Grand Palais.
Married fencers Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt not only are working to become doctors, but they’re also trying to win gold in what may be their final Olympics.
And it was defending champion Lee Kiefer who made history.
Three years after her unexpected gold at the Tokyo Games, the top-seeded Kiefer continued to dominate the event with a record second title, defeating ninth-seeded Lauren Scruggs 15-6.
This wasn’t the first time an Olympic fencing championship featured two American women. Mariel Zagunis defeated teammate Sada Jacobson for the saber title at the 2008 Beijing Games.
But the underdog Scruggs helped make this one notable. After a series of close bouts, she looked almost comfortable in the semifinals, taking an early lead against 12th-seeded Eleanor Harvey of Canada and maintaining control for a 15-9 victory.
After the deciding touch, the Queens, N.Y., native turned to her coach with eyes wide, then began to cry.
The route was a bit tougher for Kiefer, who needed a burst of touches to defeat third-seeded Alice Volpi of Italy, 15-10.
In the years since Tokyo, Kiefer has focused on augmenting her repertoire. A defensive fencer by nature, she has been trying to attack more often.
A mix of cultural and technical changes have helped 27-year-old Simone Biles and other older gymnasts keep competing.
“I feel like I can still get so much better and still grow and advance,” she said earlier this year. “That might sound surprising if you have an Olympic medal and you’re ranked No. 1 in the world, but the nuances are so much fun.”
The work paid off Sunday as she deftly shifted gears depending on the opponent and circumstance. Against Scruggs, she opened an early four-touch lead and was never seriously challenged.
In the bronze-medal bout, Harvey defeated Volpi to make it a clean sweep for North America. With her victory, Kiefer can now focus on rooting for husband and two-time bronze medalist Gerek Meinhardt in the men’s foil on Monday.
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