Olympic gold medalist from Lexington wins Andy Beshear Distinguished Alumni Award

Olympic gold medalist Lee Kiefer, a Lexington Paul Laurence Dunbar High School alumnus, has won the 2025 Fayette County Public Schools’ Andy Beshear Distinguished Alumni Award, district officials announced Tuesday.

Kiefer, a 2012 graduate of Dunbar, won fencing gold medals at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics in Tokyo and Paris, respectively. She was presented with the award Tuesday at Dunbar, and both she and Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins spoke.

Time magazine reported earlier this year that Kiefer was the first American fencer to own three Olympic gold medals and the first American woman to win two fencing golds at a single Olympic Games.

Kentucky Gov. Beshear won the Distinguished Alumni Award last year, its inaugural presentation, and the award was named for him.

This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 2:19 PM.