Kiefer’s training routine has changed since winning gold in Tokyo.
“Basement training wasn’t something you could do forever,” she says. “A lot has evolved since then.”
Kiefer and Meinhardt, whom she met while fencing at Notre Dame, still train together often, and said they don’t have a good work-life balance because fencing is at the center of their home, but they are both trying to branch out, such as attending international training camps to see different fencing styles.
Paris will be the first time Kiefer will have to compete under the pressure of defending a gold medal, something she has never done at the Olympic level, but she does have plenty of experience having defended a gold medal at the Pan American Games.
In 2011, Kiefer won the individual foil gold medal on his Pan American Championship debut and has since defended the title three times, most recently in Santiago, Chile, last October.
Pursuing a gold medal in Paris wasn’t Kiefer’s motivation for continuing with fencing. After finishing 10th in the individual foil at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Kiefer considered retiring from the sport to attend medical school full time. He ended up enrolling at the University of Kentucky’s School of Medicine, but decided to continue fencing.
Kiefer has taken a break from medical school since the Tokyo Games to focus on competing in the quad at the Paris Olympics, and she said one of the main reasons she’s still fencing and has delayed getting her medical degree is to see how much better she can be.
“I’ve won Olympic medals and been ranked number one in the world, but the nuances are so much fun,” she said. “For most of my career I’ve been a really strong attacker and built my game around that. I feel like I’m a lot more well-rounded since the last Olympics, but I’m still always thinking about how I can improve my game, what my weaknesses are, what that other person is doing and how I can borrow ideas and add to my game. It’s a lot of fun, both strategically and creatively.”
While preparing for Tokyo, Kiefer said her goal was to “go out there and do my best.” No matter how much pressure or expectation there is, Kiefer’s approach in Paris will likely not change.
“There are a lot of things you can’t control, but there are some things you can control, like the preparation before the competition – the physical and mental preparation,” she said. “So honestly, I’m just going to focus on my preparation, then go out there and fence well.”
