Lee Kiefer
U.S. Olympian, fencer, gold medalist, mental health advocate
Age: 29
Hometown: Lexington, KY
Olympic Games: 2012, 2016, 2020
Gold: 2020
Fencer. Medalist. Advocate.
Team USA athlete Lee Kiefer is a fencing wizard. As a three-time Olympian and gold medalist in Individual Women’s Foil Fencing, she knows what it will take to succeed at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. But besides dominating on the fencing strip, she’s passionate about health equity, mental health, and women’s health rights, which is why she’s also studying to be a doctor. Despite her small stature, she’s someone we can all look up to.
Fencer
Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, one would think Lee would be an Olympic equestrian, but Lee fell in love with a different Olympic sport—fencing. Her love of fencing came from her father and her siblings, as they all shared a fervent passion for the sport. They were a fencing family, through and through. “We would drive an hour and half to the closet fencing club. And on top of that, my dad would give us footwork lessons in our empty dining room at home,” Lee remembers. She started going to local tournaments and then national events. Determined to improve their abilities and compete at the highest levels, her family recruited a well-known coach to move to Lexington and build up the fencing community locally. By the time she was 13, Lee was traveling internationally for fencing competitions and was bringing back medals and trophies.
Lee and her family not only practice the sport but further their dedication to this art that is inextricably linked to the Games. Fencing has been an Olympic sport since the inaugural Games in 1896 and is made up of three different disciplines: foil, epée, and saber. Each discipline has its own unique rules and nuances, but the basics are similar: touch your opponent with either the tip, for foil and epée, or the blade, for saber, before they touch you in the valid target area. Seems simple, but those touches can happen quicker than the blink of an eye. So, to get 15 points to win the bout, strategy plays a big role. Before Lee even picks up her foil, she already has a gameplan. “I do my homework before competitions to study my opponents,” Lee explained. With the speed and strategy needed for fencing, it’s no wonder the sport has been called physical chess.
“You have to be quick to adapt, to learn, to be gritty. Other times you need to be brave and take risks.”
Standing at only five-foot four, Lee is on the smaller side for a fencer, but she found an unexpected advantage to her size. Her lower center of gravity allows her to move faster and change directions quickly to avoid getting touched. “When I first started fencing, people doubted me because of my size, but I have turned it into an advantage,” Lee admits. “I found my own place. I’m very fast. I’m very hard to hit.” As Lee’s fencing career progressed, she soon found herself on the verge of realizing a dream: making Team USA and going to the Olympic Games.
“You have to be quick to adapt, to learn, to be gritty. Other times you need to be brave and take risks.”
Medalist
At age 18, Lee made her Olympic debut in London 2012. She didn’t medal, but the experience was unforgettable. “I came in there with absolutely nothing to lose. I had the best freaking time ever” Lee cheerfully reminisced. But the highlights she cherishes most? Her family was there to watch her compete and that she performed better than people expected.
With her first Olympic Games under her belt, Lee fenced throughout college and set her sights on one goal: Rio 2016. Going into 2016, she had a high world ranking and the belief that she would be standing on the podium with a medal around her neck. However, she fell short of performing her best and her dreams of being an Olympic champion were unsuccessful.
“In Rio, I went out there and I didn’t fence well. I didn’t meet my expectations or other people’s. I was devastated,” Lee recalls, “I was like, I don’t know what fencing means to me anymore.” Lee was at her lowest and was struggling to find the joy in fencing. She seriously was considering stepping away from the competitive arena. However, Lee’s friends and family encouraged her to keep advancing forward and helped pull her out of her slump. Inspired by her family and her support system and fueled by a refreshed perspective, she once again set out to qualify for Team USA and compete at the Olympic Games in 2020. This time though, she reembraced her love of the sport while placing more importance on the joy of fencing rather than the results.
As she stepped onto the fencing strip in Tokyo, she kept getting touch after touch after touch. Winning bout after bout, and match after match. Showing the world that her dedication paid off, she stood atop of the podium as the first American foil fencer, male or female, to win an individual gold medal.
“I rose to the World Number 1 from being at my lowest. I was able to find so much joy in fencing again. So finally, after all of those challenges, I arrived in Tokyo and captured the gold.”
Explore Lee’s gallery
Lee was the first American fencer, male or female, to ever win an Olympic gold in individual foil. A feat that has cemented herself as one of the greatest American fencers but she’s working to grow her legacy.
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“I rose to the World Number 1 from being at my lowest. I was able to find so much joy in fencing again. So finally, after all of those challenges, I arrived in Tokyo and captured the gold.”
Advocate
Beyond the fencing strip, Lee has been in medical school to become a doctor. Her decision to study medicine was rooted in her life as an elite athlete and Olympian. And how understanding the body can help you bounce back from injury and get back on track toward your goals–not to mention the rest of her family are also doctors. Lee and her husband, also a U.S. Olympian, both know first-hand the beneficial relationship between one’s physical well-being and performance. This understanding of how the body and mind are interconnected also inspires Lee. In addition, she continues to have a deep passion advocating for health equity and women’s health rights because “health is foundational to everyone.”
But physical well-being is only half of the equation. Lee also knows the importance of mental well-being, considering her demanding life as a medical student and an elite athlete. Balancing training, competing, and classwork can take a toll. Lee's biggest struggle happened during med school. “It’s very common for people to have anxiety and depression. So, I think it was normal where I started to struggle and it took me a while to ask for help and reach out,” Lee explained. For both Olympians and med students, anxiety and depression stemming from the immense pressure, lack of sleep, and the sheer amount of work and required training are not unusual—more so for Lee since she’s both. But with the help of a consistent mental health provider, Lee learned how to better recognize the signs that she was struggling and gained the necessary tools to navigate those moments. Such as, preparing for different events while focusing on better handling the external factors she could control and knowing what factors she couldn’t.
Considering Lee’s achievements on fencing’s biggest stages and in the classroom, it’s clear that she is a leading role model for the next generation of fencers and young female athletes.
“I want to show them what hard work looks like in a setting of being joyful and having other ambitions outside the sport.”
Her goal in Paris is not just to win more medals but to carry the joy she found in fencing to inspire others. Deloitte is proud to support Lee as she stands, foil in hand, on the cusp of another great journey for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. She is a testament to the power of dedication, perseverance, and happiness that all come from following your passion. Allez Lee!
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