Lauren Scruggs: Breaking Barriers, One Touch at a Time

Imagine walking into a moment knowing your presence made it historic.

In the summer of 2024, at the Olympic Games in Paris, star fencer Lauren Scruggs did just that. Competing in the women’s individual foil event, Scruggs earned a silver medal—becoming the first Black American woman ever to win an individual Olympic medal in fencing. It was a moment she seemed destined to achieve from an early age.

Scruggs grew up in Queens, New York, where she first picked up a foil after watching her older brother fence. What started as sibling curiosity quickly transformed into a lifelong passion. She trained at the Peter Westbrook Foundation, a program dedicated to introducing fencing to Black and Latino youth. There, she developed the precision, discipline, and mindset that would later define her rise to Olympic success.

She attended Packer Collegiate Institute before enrolling at Harvard University, where she majored in philosophy while competing for the Harvard Crimson fencing team. Balancing late-night study sessions with intense training, Scruggs proved that excellence doesn’t require choosing between academics and athletics.

In 2025, she graduated from Harvard with a degree in philosophy—but not before making history on the world’s biggest stage.

Before Paris, Scruggs’ résumé was already impressive. She was a two-time junior world champion (2019 and 2022) and one of the most promising fencers in the United States. Her rise through a sport historically dominated by Europeans reflected not only her technical mastery but also her tenacity—and her determination to challenge tradition.

At the 2024 Olympics, Scruggs battled through a demanding bracket in the women’s individual foil. Each bout showcased her trademark calm and lightning-fast precision. She won four consecutive matches to reach the final, where she faced her teammate, reigning champion Lee Kiefer.

Although Kiefer ultimately took gold in a 15–6 match, Scruggs’ silver was a victory of its own—not just for her, but for generations to come.

Scruggs’ achievement marks the first time a Black woman from the United States has medaled individually in Olympic fencing. It also highlights how the sport is becoming more diverse after decades of being seen as exclusive to a select group.

Historically, fencing has struggled with representation: Black athletes make up less than 10% of USA Fencing’s membership. Programs like the Peter Westbrook Foundation have helped change that, opening doors for young athletes of color—and Scruggs’ success has now widened that path even more.

“This moment isn’t just about me,” she told reporters after the match. “It’s about every young person who didn’t think they could see themselves in this sport.”

Her words reflect more than humility—they underscore a legacy in motion. Lauren Scruggs has become the face of possibility in a discipline where Black women were once nearly invisible.