The last time Team USA took a trip to the Olympic Games, our world was in a state of panic. The plans to host in Tokyo in 2020 were ultimately postponed to the next year, and the normally large, cheering crowds watching events were nowhere to be found. Though they risked their health traveling to and competing in the Games, American athletes were proud to be a source of inspiration and hope for those stuck at home in quarantine, or separated from loved ones while social distancing. In 2024, things look a lot different, and while questions remain about the impacts of COVID-19, it’s clear people are ready to move forward – including 21-year-old Lauren Scruggs.

She’s a newcomer to the Olympics, but the New York native is no stranger to championship titles as a fencer. At the ongoing games in Paris, Scruggs has impressed viewers with her confidence, charisma and determination, raising more curiosity about her personal life. If you missed the Queens-born star competing in the women’s foil at the Grand Palais on July 28th, you’ll want to look out for her in the team event on August 1st. Before that, though, let’s answer the burning question – who is Lauren Scruggs?

Lauren Scruggs’ Love for Fencing Began at a Young Age

Scruggs, who’s about to enter her senior year as a philosophy major at Harvard University, has her older brother, Nolen, to thank for introducing her to fencing. When she was just six, he joined a nearby club in Brooklyn, eventually leading him to compete for Columbia University. Skill clearly runs in the family, as Lauren is a member of the Harvard Crimson, and has been winning awards at the Junior World Fencing Championships since 2018. In 2019 and 2022 the younger Scruggs took home individual gold medals, other years brought her solo and team accolades.

More recently, the East Coaster added an NCAA championship to her resume in 2023, aiding the Crimson with a fifth-place team finish at the North Carolina-based competition. Scruggs is one of two Black fencers from America to have won an individual world championship, and she’s proud to be breaking racial barriers so that others can confidently walk behind her. Ahead of this year’s Olympics, the young fencer won a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships in Lima, setting her confidence sky-high for Paris.

Amid all her success, it’s been important for Scruggs to give back to her community along the way. She works with Olympic fencer Peter Westbrook, who won bronze at the 1984 Summer Olympics, to teach fencing to youth in underserved communities. Westbrook competed in five Games total and is considered a “legend” by Americans who compete in the sport. He was unable to travel to Paris to watch his mentee compete for her medals due to illness, but Scruggs credits his profound impact on her career nonetheless. “I think he’s a big reason why I am where I am today,” she’s said of their relationship.

2024 Paris Olympics Achievements

It was only a few months before the 2024 Olympics that Lauren Scruggs qualified; the exciting moment came as she won bronze at the Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Grand Prix in Washington, DC. After training tirelessly, the 21-year-old won a silver medal in the women’s foil event in late July, defeating Arianna Errigo and Eleanor Harvey. The final match saw her facing off against fellow American Lee Kiefer, who beat Scruggs 15-6 in an intense match. “I thought I was dreaming,” the champion told ABC News of her experience at the Games. “I never expected to make it that far.”

The Olympic newcomer is now officially the first Black American woman to win an individual medal in fencing. “I think my success has helped break stereotypes about what Black people can do and who can be a cancer,” she said while celebrating her achievement. Besides that, it’s also the first time that American women won gold and silver Olympic medals in individual foil fencing – another feat worth celebrating.

As a Harvard student, Olympic medalist, national champion and a woman in her early 20s, it’s understandable that Scruggs would want to keep some of her life to herself. There’s a lot we don’t know about her routines, though the philosophy student is openly gay and in a happy relationship with a classmate named Chelsea. It’s unclear when they met, but based on her Instagram, we know that she and Lauren are approaching their second anniversary in October.

The happy couple will have a lot to celebrate when Scruggs is back from France, and the silver medalist tells People her family is enthused by her victory too. “I think my family’s a mess, they’re just so excited. My mom cries every five seconds; my grandma too,” she gushed. “He was telling me, ‘I’ve been praying for you all week’ and things like that. He’s that type of guy, so I think he’s just super proud,” she said of his reaction to her silver medal,” Scruggs added of her older brother.