#BizziTeam via USA Fencing Photo
She debated retiring after becoming the first American woman ever to win an Olympic fencing gold medal in Tokyo, but Lexington’s Lee Kiefer couldn’t leave the sport she loves so much.
Instead, she worked out a way to delay finishing medical school at the University of Kentucky and had a remarkable run as she was ranked No. 1 in the world going into the Paris Olympics — her fourth Olympics. She won her first medal at the World Championships in 2008 at age 15 and has 12 medals at the World Championships.
Sunday in Paris, Kiefer won the gold medal match over fellow American Lauren Scruggs 15-6 to win the women’s individual foil title again in the first all-USA final in this event since 2008. She ended the match with 40 seconds left in the first of three periods.
Kiefer, who won four NCAA titles at Notre Dame in foil fencing, is the first back-to-back gold medalist since Italy’s Valentina won three-straight in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She joined Mariel Zagunis (women’s saber gold in 2004 and 2008) as the only American fencers with two individual Olympic gold medals.
“No matter how much I tried to prepare, there’s still so much pressure I put on myself to just fence well and stay present,” Kiefer said after her win.
Kiefer celebrated not only with her coach but also her family after the win. She couldn’t do that in Tokyo after the Olympic Games were delayed from 2020 to 2021 due to COVID-19 and had strict attendance limitations. The rowdy crowd of 8,000 in the Grand Palais in Paris was nothing like the near empty venue in Japan when Kiefer won her first Olympic gold three years ago.
“It’s so special to have my family (here), all my best friends who I haven’t even seen,” Kiefer said. “I tried to spot them in the crowd. But it makes it so much fuller.”
Kiefer’s gold medal was only the fifth all time in an individual event for a U.S. fencer.
Scruggs understood the significance of what Kiefer, 30, did.
“I’m definitely more happy than disappointed,” Scruggs said. “I think that it was shocking for me to be here in the first place, so I don’t even think I’ve had time to process losing, if I’m being honest. Just shocking and just super grateful.”
Kiefer trains at the Bluegrass Fencers’ Club in Kentucky and knew her gold medal in Japan increased interest in her sport.
“Just seeing the sheer amount of people who are interested in fencing and who want to support fencers is just amazing, because we don’t really have that in America,” Scruggs said after the match. “I’m just super grateful to be able to fence in front of such a big crowd and in such a beautiful space.”
Kiefer obviously has solidified her legacy as one of the greatest U.S. fencers ever. She will compete in the team competition later this week.
Her husband, Gerek Meinhardt, will compete in men’s foil — he is a five-time Olympian. He’s also in medical school with her at UK. Meinhardt was the youngest member of Team USA at the 2008 games in China. He was the first U.S. men’s foil fencer to earn the World No. 1 ranking in 2014.
Meinhardt won bronze medals at each of the last two Olympics.
USA Fencing
#BizziTeam via USA Fencing Photos
