Young fencer shows NY grit on Paris 2024 stage

EAUBONNE, France — Growing up in cutthroat New York gave Lauren Scruggs the competitive mindset needed to claim an unexpected fencing silver medal on her Olympic debut in Paris. The 21-year-old Queens native shared the podium with fellow American Lee Kiefer, who retained her Olympic title in the women's individual foil event gold medal bout on Sunday. "I’ve grown up in New York my whole life. It can be kind of rough sometimes," Scruggs, the first Black American fencer to win an Olympic medal in a women's individual event, told Reuters.