PARIS — Lee Kiefer won back-to-back gold medals in foil fencing and teammate Lauren Scruggs took silver Sunday to make history as the first black fencer to win an Olympic medal in a women's individual event for the United States.
Kiefer won the final 15-6 against Scruggs and celebrated by doing somersaults around the track in joy.
The raucous crowd at the cavernous Grand Palais was a stark contrast to the quiet, empty venue in Chiba, Japan, where Kiefer won his first Olympic gold three years ago under pandemic restrictions.
Kiefer's gold medal is the fifth all-time in an individual event for an American fencer. She follows Mariel Zagunis in 2004 and 2008 as the only American fencers to win gold in the same event twice.
An all-American final at an Olympic fencing event had not been held since 2008, when Zagunis beat Sada Jacobson in sabre as part of a sweep of the American podium. Before that, the last time that had happened was in 1904.
“I'm definitely more happy than disappointed,” Scruggs said. “I think it was shocking for me to be here in the first place, so I don't think I've had time to process the loss, to be honest. I'm just shocked and very grateful.”
Eleanor Harvey became the first Canadian to win an Olympic fencing medal when she defeated Italy's Alice Volpi 15-12 to take bronze.
Also on Sunday, Japan's Koki Kano defeated France's Yannick Borel 15-9 to take the gold medal in men's epee, Japan's first ever individual fencing gold at the Olympics. Mohamed Elsayed won bronze for Egypt 8-7 in overtime against Hungary's Tibor Andrasfi.
