| Lee Kiefer Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 4 in |
| Weight | 49 kg |
| Date of Birth | June 15, 1994 |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Spouse | Gerek Meinhardt |
Lee Kiefer is an American fencer who is the most decorated American female foil fencer in history. She had won the ‘Gold’ medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (individual), the 2018 Wuxi World Fencing Championships (team); the 2011 Guadalajara Pan American Games (individual and team), the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games (individual), and the 2019 Lima Pan American Games (individual and team); the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2017 Leipzig World Fencing Championships (team), and the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games (team); and the ‘Bronze’ medal at the 2011 Catania World Fencing Championships (individual) and the 2019 Budapest World Fencing Championships (team).
Born Name
Lee Kiefer
Nick Name
Lee
Sun Sign
Gemini
Born Place
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Residence
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Nationality
Education
Lee had graduated in 2012, from the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky. After her high school graduation, she had joined the University of Notre Dame, a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana. She had represented the Notre Dame Fighting Irish fencing team there and had graduated from the institution in 2017.
She had then enrolled in the class of 2022 at the College of Medicine, a medical school at the Chandler Medical Center of the University of Kentucky, a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky.
Occupation
Fencer
Family
- Father – Steven Kiefer (Neurosurgeon, Former University-Level Fencer)
- Mother – Teresa Kiefer (Psychiatrist)
- Siblings – Axel Kiefer (Younger Brother) (University-Level Fencer, 2015 USA Fencing National Championships Junior ‘Gold’ Medalist), Alexandra Kiefer (Older Sister) (Doctor, Former University-Level Fencer, 2011 NCAA Champion)
- Others – Jane Meinhardt (Mother-in-Law), Kurt Meinhardt (Father-in-Law)
Weapon
Foil
Hand
Right-Handed
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 4 in or 162.5 cm
Weight
49 kg or 108 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Lee has dated –
- Gerek Meinhardt (2012-Present) – Lee had started dating fellow American Olympic fencer Gerek Meinhardt in January 2012. The couple got engaged in January 2018 and got married in September 2019.
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial (Asian and White)
She is of Filipino descent on her mother’s side and American descent on her father’s side.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Hazel
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Shoulder-length, straight hair
- Affable smile
Lee Kiefer Facts
- Lee, inspired by her father who is a former university-level fencer, had started getting trained in the sport from the age of 5. About a decade later, she was the youngest member of the United States’ senior team at the 2009 World Team Foil event.
- She had, in 2011, become the first athlete in the world to have earned individual podium finishes at the senior, junior, and cadet world championships.
- In March 2017, after she had won the ‘Gold’ medal in the individual women’s foil event at the Long Beach Grand Prix, she had become the world number 1 in the FIE (Fédération Internationale d’Escrime) rankings.
- Before winning the ‘Gold’ medal in the individual women’s foil event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she had competed at both the 2016 Rio Olympics (10th in the individual event) and the 2012 London Olympics (5th in the individual event and 6th in the team event).
- In the final in Tokyo, she had defeated defending champion Inna Deriglazova by a score of 15-13. She had become the first American fencer, male or female, to win the Olympic ‘Gold’ medal in the individual foil event.
Featured Image by Lee Kiefer / Instagram
