US Women’s Fencing Team Brings Home Historic Victory As They Defeat Italy At Paris Olympics

In a thrilling showdown at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the United States women’s foil team shattered expectations and made history by clinching their first-ever gold medal.

Overcoming the powerhouse Italian team, which had dominated the event with four gold medals in the last six Olympics, the Americans delivered an unforgettable performance.

The dramatic finale saw Queens native Lauren Scruggs land the decisive touch against Arianna Errigo, leaving Scruggs and her teammates in awe of their groundbreaking victory. This stunning upset marks a monumental moment in Olympic fencing history and a triumphant achievement for Team USA.

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Scruggs, who took home the silver in the individual foil final, joined her teammates Lee Kiefer, Maia Weintraub, and Jacqueline Dubrovich in tears of joy after their thrilling 45-39 victory. Kiefer, (who had earlier beaten Scruggs for individual gold), Weintraub, and Dubrovich, all hugged and celebrated their historic win. The final bout between Scruggs and Italy’s veteran fencer Arianna Errigo was nail-biting.

Thanks to Weintraub’s impressive gap against Francesca Palumbo, making it 35-26, and Kiefer keeping the lead at 40-32 against Alice Volpi, Scruggs knew she needed just five more touches for gold. But Errigo wasn’t going to make it easy, closing the gap to within three touches. With determination and a bit of self-talk, Scruggs managed to land those crucial final points, sealing the gold medal for the U.S. team.

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“It’s unbelievable to make history,” Scruggs said according to Forbes. “I’m just very, very shocked right now. I don’t have a lot of words to describe it.”

“In [the] last bout, [Italy’s Arianna] Errigo was super good. It was a tough one, and I was dealing with some injuries and whatnot that I had to fight through,” Scruggs continued.

“So it’s super stressful to be the anchor. But I think that I just kind of locked in. I kept fighting and, luckily, I had a very big lead. They were able to give me some leeway, but I closed it up.”

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By Remso Martinez

Remso W. Martinez is a contributor to Bounding Into Sports. He's a Brazilian JiuJitsu practitioner and baseball fan based ... More about Remso Martinez