PARIS — Two American ladies squared up for a sword combat within the palace at nightfall. Each emerged with Olympic medals.
This, the Grand Palais within the middle of the French capital, was the stage for the ladies’s foil fencing matchup between Lee Kiefer, 30, and Lauren Scruggs, 21, the primary all-American fencing last since Beijing 2008.
Within the occasion, Kiefer — the defending champion and pre-tournament favourite — received 15-6 to retain the gold medal.
“There’s 1,000,000 completely different obstacles that occurred to make it so far,” she advised reporters afterward. “So getting by all this stuff that you could’t even predict is simply freaking cool and enjoyable.”
Scruggs’ silver makes her the primary Black American lady to win a person fencing medal and the second out LGBTQ athlete to get on the rostrum at these Video games.
“In sure communities, fencing is simply not a sport you do,” she advised NBC Information after her bout. “So I’d say to these individuals, who’re in these communities and who’re considering fencing: Do what you need to do … and comply with your ardour.”
She mentioned at a information convention that she hoped “extra individuals who appear like me really feel as if they’ve a spot within the sport.”
Requested how it might really feel if younger Black ladies had been watching her Sunday night time, she responded: “It will be sick” — very a lot utilizing the optimistic, slang model of the phrase.
The scene couldn’t have been any extra epic.
With the solar having solely simply set exterior, the fencing piste lay beneath the palace nave, a 150-foot vaulted dome held up by 6,000 tons of metal.
The group of 6,000 watched and whooped as Kiefer and Scruggs had been tracked by digicam, strolling collectively down the sweeping artwork nouveau staircase. Lastly they emerged into the auditorium, donning their fencers’ helmets — each adorned with the American flag.
Within the first couple of minutes, Scruggs put up an excellent combat and took a number of factors as she battled Kiefer.
However this shortly grew to become the David and Goliath match-up that the shape information predicted. Kiefer was capable of defeat Scruggs, getting 15 factors, inside the primary of three timed intervals, every lasting 3 minutes.
Their coaches bantered from the sidelines as they watched their athletes. And when the sport was over, their fencers embraced one another on the piste and swaddled themselves in American flags.
Kiefer’s gold means she joins Mariel Zagunis, who received in 2004 and 2008, as the one lady to win a number of fencing gold medals. It’s additionally the primary time since Zagunis defeated Sada Jacobson within the saber last of Beijing 2008 that two Individuals had been in a fencing last.
Now a four-time Olympian, she has cemented herself as a real large of the game. It’s a household affair: Her husband, her two siblings and each her mother and father are all fencers, and her dad was the captain of Duke’s fencing group.
As if changing into an Olympic legend by age 30 wasn’t sufficient, she can be a physician, having accomplished 2½ years of medical faculty.
For Scruggs, historical past was already made when she beat eventual bronze medalist Eleanor Harvey of Canada in a semifinal. 9 years Kiefer’s junior, she is a rising senior at Harvard College, which despatched eight fencers to the Olympics this 12 months.
Not content material with merely coaching for an Olympics, Scruggs can be a full-time wealth administration intern this summer season, describing the water cooler speak with co-workers who ask questions of how her after-hours coaching goes.
She bought into fencing following the instance of her older brother, whom their mother refused to let stop the game as a result of the household had already purchased all of the tools. He went on to fence for Columbia College.
Away from the piste, Kiefer and Scruggs have managed to take full benefit of their time in Paris. Kiefer went viral on TikTok for buying and selling pins with Steph Curry and A’ja Wilson through the opening ceremony.
Scruggs, in the meantime, mentioned in an interview this month that she was most excited for the Olympic gear and the sightseeing.
“I’m simply tremendous excited to be right here,” she advised reporters. “It’s been an honor. It’s a privilege.”
Alexander Smith reported from Paris and Raquel Coronell Uribe from Washington, D.C.