Lauren Scruggs has won an improbable silver medal in the women’s foil competition. She lost to fellow American teammate Lee Kiefer, 15-6, in the gold-medal match. It was the first time two Americans faced off in the final at the Olympics.
Scruggs went into these Olympic Games ranked No. 11 in the world in women’s foil by the International Fencing Federation. Lee Keifer went into the tournament — and the final — ranked No. 1. Scruggs was the third-ranked American of three Americans in women’s foil.
The fencing tournaments are taking place at the Grand Palais, one of the incredibly beautiful venues in Paris. For the 2018 Gay Games in Paris, the main-headliner dance party, featuring Offer Nissim, was held there. It’s gorgeous.
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When Outsports caught up with Scruggs ahead of the Olympics, she described her fencing event of foil as something out of ‘The Princess Bride.’
“It’s kind of like, if you’ve watched the ‘Princess Bride,’ the fighting scenes form that movie,” she told Outsports. “And Zorro. You’re trying to poke the other person.”
Scruggs also talked openly about her girlfriend.
“It’s been almost three years,” Scruggs said. “She’s been very supportive of my fencing career. She can’t travel to my bouts most of the time, but when she’s able to she goes. She’s been a huge help for my Olympic journey.”
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Scruggs is the second out LGBTQ athlete to win a medal at these Olympics, following judoka Amandine Buchard, who won a bronze medal earlier on Sunday.
Scruggs fences collegiately for Harvard, where she helped the team win an NCAA Championship this season.
Now Scruggs and Kiefer will have a good shot at another medal in the team event later this week.
