The foil fencing competition was won by Lee Kiefer in a row of victories. In jubilation, Kiefer piroueted down the piste after defeating Scruggs 15-6 in the final.
Coach Buckie Leach, who Kiefer had in Tokyo, tragically passed away 20 days after the Olympics in a motorbike accident, and Kiefer dedicated her victory to him.
“He would be so happy for me,” she said. “This one’s for him. I even have a picture of him on my wall in the village.”
U.S. fencer Kiefer has won five gold medals in solo events. She becomes the second American fencer, after Mariel Zagunis in 2004 and 2008, to win gold in the same event on consecutive occasions.
REPEAT COMPLETE 🥇@leetothekiefer becomes the first U.S. woman to win two Olympic gold medals in individual foil. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/B08sQCrLSl
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 28, 2024
Gerek Meinhardt, who is married to Kiefer, will compete in two men’s foil events in Paris. Meinhardt won bronze medals in the Olympics twice. University of Kentucky medical students Kiefer and Meinhardt have temporarily suspended their studies to focus on their Olympic aspirations.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Kiefer, a fencer for Notre Dame who won five NCAA titles while competing in college, graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in 2012. Additionally, she is enrolled in the medical school at the University of Kentucky.
Source: Spectrum News
