Kentucky's Lee Kiefer talks fencing Olympic gold medal on Today Show
(Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
On Sunday, Team USA fencer Lee Kiefer became the first American to win a gold medal in the individual foil. This morning, the Lexington native and current University of Kentucky medical student brought that gold medal to the Today Show to talk about finally achieving her dream after placing fifth in the event at the London Olympics in 2012 and 10th in Rio in 2016.
“I still don’t feel like it’s real,” Kiefer said. “My happiness comes from the joy of my coach and my family at this point.”
Kiefer, whom Today cohost Craig Melvin dubbed “the pride and joy of the state of Kentucky,” also brought her husband Gerek Meinhardt to the set. Like Kiefer, Meinhardt is a student at UK’s College of Medicine and a fencer for Team USA. The 2016 bronze medalist lost in the early rounds of the men’s individual foil this morning, but told Today that seeing his wife win gold is the highlight of his career.
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“She made my Olympic dream come true,” Meinhart said. “Being able to see her go out and fight her nerves and come out with the gold medal was something really special.”
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Say it with me: “Awwww.” You can see the entire interview below. Both Kiefer and Meinhardt will compete in the team foil events later this week.
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