Lee Kiefer– now the first American fencer in history to hold three Olympic gold medals and the first American woman to win two fencing gold medals at a single Games – cried atop the podium on Thursday night at the Grand Palais, spilling more tears and singing the national anthem louder than any of his teammates. Kiefer didn’t show as much emotion on Sunday when she won her second consecutive individual Olympic gold medal in foil fencing. Kiefer knew she still had to work so her fellow Americans could also win a gold medal. “We did it together,” Kiefer said after the U.S. defeated Italy in a tense team foil gold medal match on Thursday. “And it’s the first time I can start to breathe and take it all in.”
In a historic night for American fencing, Team USA defeated Italy 45-39 on Thursday, also giving the United States its first national team fencing gold medal in Olympic history (in 1904, Albertson Post of the The United States won a team gold in foil in a mixed team, along with two Cuban fencers.) The US entered the final round with a 40-32 lead – 45 touches wins the match – but Italian Arrianna Errigo raced past the fencer. Team USA anchor Lauren Scruggs, who lost to Kiefer in the individual foil final on Sunday, cutting the lead to 42-39. Then, Scruggs, however, aggressively attacked Errigo to stop the bleeding: with two more touches from Scruggs, the duel was over.
Maia Mei Weintraub and Jacqueline Dubrovich joined Kiefer and Scruggs in winning gold.
Kiefer outscored his opponents 14-13 during his three rounds, setting the tone by giving the U.S. an early 5-4 lead, which Scruggs increased to 10-5 after the second. The US managed to maintain this initial cushion. “There is no fencer in the world like her,” says Ralf Bissdorf, coach of the US foil team. “She can hit you wherever she wants. She is extremely versatile in defense and attack… I wouldn’t know how to coach her on the other side.”
Kiefer grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, his father Steve, a neurosurgeon, and his mother, Theresa, a psychiatrist who immigrated to the United States from the Philippines as a child. Both Kiefer and her husband, also a US Olympic fencer Gerek Meinhardt, met at Notre Dame and are both medical students, on leave while training for the Olympics, at the University of Kentucky. Being part of a fencing couple has advantages. You travel the world with your spouse, and in the spring, for example, the pair escaped to Vietnam for a few days after a tournament in Hong Kong.
On the other hand, this is quite of time to spend with your significant other. “He likes to anticipate my sentences and fill in my gaps because I speak very slowly and he makes mistakes 90% of the time,” Kiefer said, slowly, during an interview with TIME before the Games. “We get into little arguments all the time. I’m a hothead. We got through it in 30 seconds.”
While competing and preparing for Paris, Kiefer volunteered on the helpline for the Kentucky Health Justice Network, a reproductive rights nonprofit. “We get calls asking for anything from transportation support to financial support or what resources are out there,” Kiefer said during a roundtable discussion at the USOPC Media Summit in New York City in April. “It’s crazy that it’s so difficult to access correct information.” Kentucky banned abortion after Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022; state residents frequently travel to Illinois, Virginia and Ohio for care, Kiefer says.
Kiefer became interested in reproductive rights after winning gold in Tokyo. “For most of my life, I was like someone who didn’t think about these things,” she said. Then a friend sent him a short friendultimately signed by Kiefer and over 500 female athletes, arguing in favor of reproductive rights.
“Female athletes need our bodies for our work,” Kiefer said. “I was like, holy shit, you’re so right. So I was thinking about it. Obviously I’m in love now.” She spoke through tears.
“I’m sorry, I’m getting tired and excited,” Kiefer said. “And then I cry. “It’s a normal thing for me to do.”
After her historic second gold in Paris — and third Olympic title overall — Kiefer told TIME during a moment of silence at the Grand Palais that she would continue to volunteer with the Kentucky Health Justice Network when she returned home. She is excited to resume her advocacy. The organization, she says, “has been rooting for me, sending me messages, so, yeah, honestly, I’ve been tuning out probably politics and heavy stuff while I’ve been here, but, yeah, I’m really excited.”
Despite dedicating herself to fencing in Paris, she is in tune with political events in her country. She will support Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. “She’s the one with the experience,” says Kiefer. “She is the one who cares about social rights. It is the direction we need to go.”
Kiefer, however, was non-committal in confirming previously announced plans that these Olympics, her fourth, will be her last, and that she will return to medical school in the summer of 2025. “I’m just thinking about enjoying these medals,” she said. Kiefer. “I’m going to shut down for a few months.”
“Great question, though.”
The fruits of the greatness of the Olympics first. The books can wait.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
