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In the gold medal match for women’s individual foil, one competitor had to win, and the other had to lose. But in a rare occurrence, there was no way for Team USA to lose, as finalists Lee Kiefer and Lauren Scruggs were both from the United States.
But it was Kiefer, the defending gold medalist in women’s individual foil from the 2020 Tokyo Games, who came out on top, defeating Scruggs 15-6. She’s the first American woman and the third woman in history to win two gold medals in fencing.
Scruggs scored the first touch, but she was soon overwhelmed by Kiefer, who was agile and relentless. While Scruggs camped out at two points, Kiefer kept attacking and attacking, bringing her closer and closer to the gold. Scruggs was able to get a few more touches on Kiefer, but by that point Kiefer had already pulled away.
Kiefer, 30, is the child of two fencers. Her two siblings are fencers. And she’s married to a fellow Team USA fencer. She calls Lexington, Kentucky home, and spent more than two years in medical school at the University of Kentucky before taking a break prior to the 2020 Olympics to focus entirely on fencing.
Scruggs doesn’t have nearly as much Olympic experience as Kiefer, who has been to four Olympics. This is Scruggs’ first, but it may not be her last. Born in Queens, New York, she’s a rising senior at Harvard who will graduate in 2025. She’s won an NCAA championship and is just one of just two Black fencers to win a world championship for the United States.
Source Agencies
