PARIS — U.S. women wrapped up Olympic fencing competitions with a first-ever team gold medal for the women's foil squad, a win that came over an Italian women's team - one of the world's best.
"That last bout was super tough," said Lauren Scruggs, who fought the final duel in team competition against Arianna Errigo. "I was obviously going up against an Italian legend. She really brought it to me.
" "We’ve put in the work and it shows," said Lee Kiefer, who also won individual gold in Olympic foil. "It’s just putting it together on the biggest stage, and here we are." The win for the U.
S., and the silver medal finish for the Italians, added to a growing rivalry between the countries. This moment also offers a shot for the American women at more attention and support back home.
This year's matches played out on the biggest stage, in one of the most spectacular venues ever for American fencers, the picturesque Grand Palais , built for the Paris Exhibition of 1900. "It’s the coliseum, you feel like you’re in the coliseum, it's just crazy," said Anne Cebula, an American epee fencer, who wasn't part of the gold medal-winning foil team. "Walking out in like this beautiful venue when the stands were just filled to the ceiling, that was incredible," said her teammate Hadley Husisian.
"I had to kind of like battle back my smile." Fencing is divided into three disciplines, fought with three different types of weapon: the foil, the epee and the saber. Normally crowds for the spo.