LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) – A record 24 University of Kentucky student-athletes, alumni and coaches represented nine countries in six sports at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Eleven of those athletes brought home 13 medals, including nine gold medals. Lexington native Lee Kiefer brought home two gold medals from the games this year and is now a three-time Olympic champion.
After her return from Paris, she was greeted by friends, family and numerous fans at Blue Grass Airport on Monday evening.
“I was a little surprised because it’s fencing training time and our coach is a stickler, but it sounds like the training was brought forward and everyone was able to greet me at the airport and that was really special,” Lee said.
“Our coach said early on, ‘She’s the greatest.’ Every coach tells parents, ‘She’s the greatest,’ and they say, ‘Yeah, yeah, sure.'” With each point in the journey, it becomes clearer how special she is in this,” said Lee’s parents, Steve and Teresa.
Kiefer graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and completed two and a half years of medical school at the University of Kentucky before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
After 23 years in fencing, Lee has an incredibly successful resume: https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/lee-kiefer807038
