From 50-yards away at the ExCeL Centre, U.S. fencer Lee Kiefer looked intimidating.
Behind her red-white-and-blue mask, she lunged ruthlessly at her opponents and pumped her fist after every point. She seemed poised, fearless and utterly unshakable.
Until she took off her mask.
Without her gear, Kiefer looked every bit the person she is: An 18-year-old competing on the world's biggest stage just a few weeks after graduating from high school.
At 5-foot-4, she had tiny American flags painted on her fingernails and patriotic pins covering her Olympic credential. She grinned when she talked about enrolling in the fall at Notre Dame, where she'll join its storied fencing team.
After losing a close quarterfinal match Saturday in the women's individual foil, Kiefer stopped to talk. She maintained her composure as she explained her technical mistakes. She also discussed the many things she did right.
Tears, however, welled in her eyes when she spoke about what the Olympic experience means. It's a question every athlete here gets asked.
"It was so amazing. Everybody I love was there," Kiefer said, unable to speak above an emotionally choked whisper. "And everyone at home is watching, so it's really exciting. It's just …"
She couldn't finish. The sentiment was clear, regardless.
If Kiefer was compelling when competing with her mask on, she was even more so when talking with it off.
sstclair@tribune.com
Twitter @StacyStClair
Behind her red-white-and-blue mask, she lunged ruthlessly at her opponents and pumped her fist after every point. She seemed poised, fearless and utterly unshakable.
Until she took off her mask.
Without her gear, Kiefer looked every bit the person she is: An 18-year-old competing on the world's biggest stage just a few weeks after graduating from high school.
At 5-foot-4, she had tiny American flags painted on her fingernails and patriotic pins covering her Olympic credential. She grinned when she talked about enrolling in the fall at Notre Dame, where she'll join its storied fencing team.
After losing a close quarterfinal match Saturday in the women's individual foil, Kiefer stopped to talk. She maintained her composure as she explained her technical mistakes. She also discussed the many things she did right.
Tears, however, welled in her eyes when she spoke about what the Olympic experience means. It's a question every athlete here gets asked.
"It was so amazing. Everybody I love was there," Kiefer said, unable to speak above an emotionally choked whisper. "And everyone at home is watching, so it's really exciting. It's just …"
She couldn't finish. The sentiment was clear, regardless.
If Kiefer was compelling when competing with her mask on, she was even more so when talking with it off.
sstclair@tribune.com
Twitter @StacyStClair
