Boston College Fencing Assistant Coach Ralf Bissdorf Leads Team USA to First-Ever Gold in Foil Team Event
Team USA won the gold medal in the women’s team foil event on Thursday during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The event featured eight teams, Italy, Egypt, Japan, Poland, Canada, France, China, and the United States. The USA defeated China in the first match 45-37, Canada in the second match 45-31, and captured the gold with a 45-39 win over Italy in the finals. Lee Kiefer and Lauren Scruggs, who won gold and silver in the individual foil on Sunday, helped the team to a big advantage alongside teammates Jacqueline Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub which was too much for Italy to battle back from even with a late rally from Italian fencer Arianna Errigo in the ninth round.
The victory made history as the first gold medal for the United States in a team fencing event and made Kiefer the most-decorated foil fencer in the country. In total, the United States has secured four fencing medals since the start of the Olympics, three in women’s and one in men’s.
The women’s team was led by Boston College fencing assistant foil coach Ralf Bissdorf.
Bissdorf is a veteran coach in fencing and has worked with fencers in Singapore and the United States. During his own career, Bissdorf has won multiple championships in team and individual, was No. 1 in the World Rank, and won a silver medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the individual foil event. He has served as an assistant coach at The Heights since 2019.
The Germany native has been Team USA’s women’s foil national coach since 2022.
Bissdorf is one of three Boston College representatives in this year’s Olympics. Eagles alumnae Erika Reineke (‘17) is currently competing for Team USA in the women’s dinghy event (sailing) and Laura Hottenrott (‘16) will compete for Team Germany in the women’s marathon later in the month.
KIM RANKIN