New York’s Lauren Scruggs has said she hopes that by becoming the first black woman from the U.S. to win an individual medal in fencing, she will inspire others to take up the sport.
The 21-year-old philosophy student at Harvard University, who will compete for the first time in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, became interested in fencing through her brother Nolen, who was a big fan of the Star Wars films.
The glamour of the saber on the silver screen has propelled her into the spotlight and she hopes it will encourage other black Americans to follow her lead.
She said: ‘Fencing is largely, and has certainly been, a non-black sport. I hope to inspire young black girls to come into fencing and think that they can have a place in the sport.
“I hope that more people who look like me, little girls like me, feel like they have their place in sports.
Lauren Scruggs wants to inspire others after becoming the first black woman from the US to win an Olympic medal in fencing
‘My brother was really into Star Wars, so after he saw the movie he wanted to take up fencing. My mom saw an ad for a local club in Brooklyn.
“He had tried different sports. He tried it and he was actually quite good at it and because I was the younger sibling I just did what he did and found out that I really liked fencing too and I was quite good at it and so it stuck with me.”
Her dream of winning a gold medal was shattered by her American teammate Lee Kiefer, who followed up her gold medal at Tokyo 2020 with her second Olympic gold medal.
She said: ‘It was so cool to be in the final with Lauren because we were both about 5ft 6in, 5ft 2in.
“We’re both very athletic and very creative. That’s really cool for the sport and it’s going to inspire a lot of little girls.”
Lauren, a Queens native, shared where she gets her confidence from.
Scruggs (left) won silver in Paris, with his American teammate Lee Kiefer (center) taking gold
The New York girl now wants other black women to follow her example in sports
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“I think it comes from where I grew up, I’m from New York City, and I think you have to be very confident in the way you approach life there.
‘I think I took some of that with me today. Before every game I put my headphones on, listened to my music and I got super motivated.
“I was yelling at myself before I was on guard with every touch, so I just brought the energy that has always been so integral to my life and I brought that energy here today.”
The bronze was secured by Canada’s Eleanor Harvey, who said she hoped her success on the podium would also encourage young people from her country to take up the sport.
