The Women’s Foil Fencers Just Won Team USA’s First-Ever Gold in the Event — and First Medal in 16 Years!

Fencing history was made by some Americans in Paris on Aug. 1.

The U.S. women’s foil team — which includes Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Jackie Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub — won the gold medal on Thursday at the Grand Palais during the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Team USA bested Italy 45-39 after defeating Canada earlier in the day to secure either a gold or silver medal.

The victory marks the first medal that the women have won in the event since 2008 — a 16-year gap — and also America’s first-ever team gold medal for women’s foil fencing.

It’s also a big moment for team member Kiefer, who won a gold in the individual foil competition earlier in the week. She’s now the most decorated U.S. foil fencer with three total medals — the first gold earned during the Tokyo Games in 2021.

The win also marked a second medal for Lauren Scruggs, who lost to Kiefer in the individual final to earn silver.

During a press conference following Thursday’s match, Kiefer said of the victory, “We have been dreaming of gold for three years, since the last Olympics, and just been slowly working … you just hope, you don’t expect.”

“Women’s foil, we’ve had many incredible fencers in previous generations … we just knew that this was possible,” said Dubrovich, noting that it was a “testament to the hard work that we’ve put into this.”

Kiefer’s husband, Gerek Meinhardt, will compete as part of the men’s team foil final on Aug. 4. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published July 27, Kiefer cited her husband as part of the reason for her continued success.

“Because of him, I think I’m more of a dynamic fencer and try to be creative,” she said. “And I have taught him how to be scrappy and dirty.”

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.