Italy's women are the top-ranked fencers in the world with the foil. But in a tense Olympic final on Thursday, the U.S. women prevailed for the gold medal.
Lee Kiefer, of Team USA, reacts as she competes with Canada's Yunjia Zhang in the women's team foil semifinal match Thursday at the Grand Palais in Paris.PARIS — Under the soaring glass dome of Paris's Grand Palais, American fencer Lee Kiefer danced close, clashing foils with her Canadian opponent Eleanor Harvey in a semifinal match.
The foil is a slender, wand-like sword, wielded with lightning speed. Kiefer scored touch after touch, celebrating each time with a shout, a fist pump or a jubilant leap into the air.Kiefer's win helped propel the U.S. women into the team finals, where they faced Italy, the top-seeded team."The Americans have grown a lot," said Italy's Alice Volpi after the match."We knew that it would be difficult. They were better than us today.
“It's so special to have my family ," Kiefer said after her Sunday victory."I tried to spot them in the crowd. But it makes it so much fuller." The Grand Palais is a breathtaking venue for the fencing competitions and provided the perfect backdrop for the historic U.S. victory.
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