Cleveland’s Lee Kiefer wins individual foil fencing gold, former Buckeye takes bronze

PARIS ( WCMH ) — The podium at the Paris Olympics for the women’s individual foil event in fencing featured two athletes with Ohio connections.

Cleveland native Lee Kiefer won her second straight gold medal in the event after defeating fellow American and Harvard student Lauren Scruggs in Sunday’s final 15-6. Kiefer’s victory makes her the second American woman to win back-to-back Olympic golds in fencing, joining Mariel Zagunis.

The event was filled with upsets outside of Kiefer’s win with multiple low-seeds going the distance to the medal rounds, including a former Ohio State athlete.

Canadian Eleanor Harvey, a Buckeyes graduate, entered the tournament as the No. 12 seed but was able to put together a collection of upsets to make the semifinals. Harvey fell in the semis to Scruggs before beating No. 3 seed Alice Volpi of Italy 15-12 in the bronze medal bout to earn the third-place medal.

Harvey’s bronze medal is the first Canada has ever won in Fencing as she completed a North American podium in the individual foil. Fencing action from the Paris Olympics continues Monday with the women’s individual sabre and men’s individual foil tournaments.

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