In a fencing championship that matched two American women, Lauren Scruggs won the silver, but achieved a gold medal distinction, becoming the first Black American woman to win an individual fencing Olympic medal.
Lee Kiefer won the gold medal
with a score of 15-6. Scruggs was also the second out LGBTQ athlete to receive a medal at the Paris Olympics.“In certain communities, fencing is just not a sport you do,” Scruggs told NBC News. “So I would say to those people, who are in those communities and who are interested in fencing: Do what you want to do … and follow your passion.”
Scruggs hopes her silver medal win can encourage “more people who look like me feel as though they have a place in the sport.”
Team USA announced that it was the first time in U.S. fencing history that both competitors from Team USA advanced to the gold medal match. The last time Team USA women accomplished that feat was in 2008 at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 where the two finalists competed in the discipline of sabre. All three medal winners hailed from Team USA.
Both Scruggs and Kiefer went undefeated throughout the tournament until they faced each other.
Scruggs was also competing in her first Olympics while this was Keifer’s second gold medal in individual foil. She won three years ago in Tokyo, where she was the first Olympic individual foil gold in American history.
Both women will be back on August 1 when Team USA competes in the women’s foil team event.
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