Kentucky Fencer Lee Kiefer Makes U.S. Olympic History With Back-To-Back Gold Medals

Lee Kiefer has done it again.

The 30-year-old fencer from Lexington, Kentucky, made U.S. Olympic history in Paris Sunday after defeating fellow American Lauren Scruggs 15-6 in the women’s individual foil fencing finals. 

Kiefer, who won gold in the foil at the Tokyo Games in 2021, is only the second U.S. fencer in history to win two individual competition Olympic gold medals.

“I really wanted to put on a good show because my family’s here and they wanted to be there in Tokyo,” she said in an interview on CNBC after her victory. “I just wanted to be able to fence pretty and the results came.”

Kiefer, a medical student at the University of Kentucky, is a four-time Olympian. She first competed in the 2012 London Games, where she finished fifth. At the Tokyo Games in 2021, she became the first U.S. fencer in history to win a gold medal in foil.

Kiefer’s husband, Gerek Meinhardt, who is also competing for Team USA in foil fencing, celebrated his wife’s achievement on social media Sunday.

“My incredible wife is a back-to-back Olympic champion!!!” Meinhardt wrote. “Words can’t express how proud I am of her... I knew she could do it. She knew she could do it. But actually doing the damn thing, and moreover, doing it two times, in two completely different environments… Just so proud and grateful to be a part of it.”

Meinhardt won bronze with the U.S. team in foil at the 2016 Olympics.

Kiefer dedicated her Sunday win to Buckie Leach, who coached her in Tokyo but died 20 days later in a motorcycle accident. "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."

Kiefer will compete again in the team foil event later this week.