Foil, Individual, Women

Lee Kiefer of the United States was the defending gold medalist and was world ranked #1 coming into Paris. She was expected to be challenged by a group of Italians who held the 2-5 world ranking positions – Martina Favaretto (2), Alice Volpi (3), Arianna Errigo (4), and Martina Batini (5). The seedings did not quite follow the rankings as Errigo was seeded #1 in Paris. Only three Italians could be entered in the event and Batini was left out.

All four favorites made the quarter-finals, where Errigo was upset by American Lauren Scruggs and Favaretto lost out to Canadian Eleanor Harvey, although Volpi and Kiefer advanced to meet each other in the semi-final. Kiefer defeated Volpi easily, 15-10, while Scruggs set up an all-American final by defeating Harvey, 15-9.

Kiefer defended her gold medal, having an easy time with her teammate, winning 15-6. This was only the fourth time one nation had gone 1-2 in women’s individual foil, and the first since 2012, when Elisa Di Francisca won gold with Errigo taking silver.

In the bronze medal match, Eleanor Harvey prevailed, upsetting Volpi, 15-12, making it an all-North American podium. Italy had no medals, but Volpi, Errigo, and Favaretto finished 4-5-6, in that order.

Kiefer became only the third fencer to defend Olympic gold in women’s individual foil, after Hungary’s Ilona Elek-Schacherer in 1936-48, and Italy’s Valentina Vezzali, who won three consecutive golds from 2000-08.