Women’s Foil Team Wins United States a Historic First Team Olympic Gold
by Bryan Wendell
PARIS, France — The U.S. Women’s Foil Team won gold on Thursday at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, earning the United States its first ever team Olympic gold medal.
The gold for the quartet of Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.), Lauren Scruggs (Queens, N.Y.), Jackie Dubrovich (Maplewood, N.J.) and Maia Weintraub (Philadelphia, Pa.) also was just the second Women’s Foil team medal in U.S. Olympic history (silver in Beijing).
“I'm just very shocked,” says Scruggs, who fenced the anchor leg in the gold medal match. “I have honestly no words to describe it. I think it's super cool to make history. I’m just very, very shocked right now.”
The day started with a 45-37 win over China in the quarterfinals in a match that included a decisive 8-2 leg for Kiefer that Team USA never squandered.
That set up a semifinal matchup with Canada, which upset hosts France in the quarterfinals. Team USA defeated Canada in the semis, 45-31, again on the strength of a dominant leg from Kiefer. Trailing 6-2 entering the third leg, Kiefer caught fire, outscoring her Canadian opponent 13-4 to put Team USA ahead for good.
In the gold medal final against frequent rivals Italy, Kiefer recovered from an early 2-4 hole to score three straight touches and end the first round 5-4. The U.S. team went on to lead after every leg.
For Kiefer, the gold medal solidifies her status as one of the greatest American fencers of all time. With a team gold medal to match her individual gold, Kiefer becomes the first U.S. fencer in history with three Olympic gold medals.
Scruggs, meanwhile, wins a second Olympic medal in her debut Games — a team gold to match her individual silver. Dubrovich, who has said this is her last Olympics, leaves with the ultimate final prize as a fitting capstone for a remarkable career. And Weintraub, who was subbed in during the gold medal match, embraced the unimaginable pressure of being a late substitute to help the USA become Olympic champions.
The win affirms that we’re in a new era for Women’s Foil in the United States. Team USA lost in the bronze medal match in this event in Tokyo 2020 and had previously won just one medal in the Women’s Foil Team event, which was first contested in 1960. That was a silver at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, won by Emily Cross, Erinn Smart and Hanna Thompson.