Lee Kiefer became the first U.S. woman ever to win an Olympic fencing gold medal. (TeamUSA Photo)
Normally a day where the United States men’s basketball team with three former University of Kentucky players loses in the Olympics would not make for a joyous Olympic day in the Bluegrass.
But not Sunday.
Even with France shocking USA 83-76 despite 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and two steals from Bam Adebayo (Devin Booker was only 1-for-6 from the field and Keldon Johnson got just one shot in only nine minutes of play) it was still a golden Olympic day for UK Athletics.
Kentucky students William Shaner (rifle) and Lee Kiefer (fencing) both won gold medals.
Shaner, 20, won the men’s 10m air rifle and set a new Olympic record with a score of 251.6 and just barely missed the world’s record. According to UK rifle’s Twitter account, each of his 84 shots was a bullseye.
Shaner had won the ISSF World Cup in Croatia and the 2021 National Junior Olympics along with leading UK to its third national championship earlier this year.
Kiefer, a Dunbar High School graduate, is a medical student at UK and a Lexington native who grew up dreaming of Olympic gold. She became the first Team USA fencer to win a gold medal. Kiefer, 27, has been ranked No. 1 in the world, and her husband, Gerek Meinhardt, is a four-time Olympian for the men’s team.
“My wife just made my #Olympics dream complete,” Meinhardt, who is ranked No. 2, posted on Twitter. “Words can’t describe how bad she wanted this, how hard she worked, or how proud of her I am,” he added. “Thank you ALL for the incredible words of support. We felt each one of them. @TeamUSA @USAFencing HISTORY!!!”
This was Kiefer’s third Olympics but her first medal. She withdrew from medical school earlier this year to concentrate on the Tokyo Olympics according to USA Today but plans to return to school.
Kentucky assistant softball coach Brittany Cervantes also made UK Olympic history when she homered for Mexico in a 5-0 win over Italy. It was the first Olympic homer by a UK player and also helped Mexico win an Olympic game for the first time.
Future UK softball pitcher Alexia Lacatena had another solid outing Sunday for Italy, throwing 1.2 innings, allowing just one run on three hits with three strikeouts and 33 pitches thrown.
In three Olympic appearances, Lacatena gave up five hits and three runs in 7 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and four walks. She gave up five hits and had an earned run average of 2.74.
