It’s not every day you make Olympic history — and Lauren Scruggs’ family is reveling in the moment. On July 28, during the women’s fencing individual foil, Scruggs became the first Black American woman to win a medal in the Olympic category, claiming silver.
“It’s just unbelievable,” Scruggs told Today.com. “Seeing my family in the stands and being able to fence in front of all those people in Paris in that great building was just insane to me. Just to have the medal over me and feel the weight was heavy; was unbelievable.”
Following her historic win, the 21-year-old fencer says her family is thrilled for her.
“[They are] super, super happy for me,” she told People magazine. “I think my family’s a mess, they’re just so excited…My mom cries every five seconds; my grandma too.”
However, for Scruggs, fencing is a family affair. According to the Olympic medalist, her brother, Nolen, influenced her to pick up the blade, and he and the rest of her family made sure she felt their support throughout her journey in Paris.
“[Nolen] 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, explaining how the win “means a lot” to her family.
Like her family, Scruggs’ classmates and professors from Harvard University, where she’s pursuing a degree in philosophy, have been celebrating her historic win. Between classmates “blowing up” her phone with text messages and professors sending their praise via email, the fencer has been feeling the love.
“They’re just gassing me up right now,” she added. “Obviously, my very close friends, they were all watching from pretty early on in the morning and one of my friends got their whole family to watch on the TV, so that was really cool.”
Ultimately, Scruggs, who also loves shopping and watching anime, is still pinching herself about her Olympic journey.
“It was shocking for me to be here in the first place. I don’t even think I’ve had time to process that,” she told Team USA. “I’m just super grateful to be able to fence in front of such a big crowd and in such a beautiful space.”
She added: “I look at the medal for five minutes and I’m just like, ‘Oh my God’…Every time I really take a moment and look at it, I’m just in total shock.”