Kentucky fencer wins 2nd career Olympic gold medal

A fencer from Kentucky made U.S. Olympic history on Sunday.

Lee Kiefer, a resident of Lexington, became only the second U.S. fencer in history to win two individual gold medals in her fencing specialty.

Kiefer first won gold in the foil at the Tokyo Games in 2021, and on Sunday in Paris she defended that title against fellow American Lauren Scruggs.

The matchup marked the first final with two Americans in the individual foil in Olympic history.

Kiefer was a four-time NCAA champion at Notre Dame, but she was a medical student at the University of Kentucky when she won her first gold.

Kiefer's husband, Gerek Meinhardt, is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist in men's foil who will compete in two events in Paris. Kiefer and Meinhardt are currently medical students at UK who have taken leave from their studies to pursue their Olympic dreams.



Kiefer battles in gold medal match in Paris on Sunday; Kiefer with 2021 gold medal in Tokyo.  (AP Photos: 2024 - Andrew Medichini; 2021 - Hassan Ammar)