Jackie Dubrovich, CC ’16, strode out under the glass dome of the Grand Palais on Thursday night. With twenty-foot-high images of her and her teammates behind her, Jackie set her sights on the final strip of her fencing career. She was set to face the Italians, a longtime dominant force in world fencing with two world champions on their team.

Dubrovich had faced them in the bronze-medal match three years prior on the Olympic stage in Tokyo, only to lose, sending her chances of a podium finish out the window. The loss led to Dubrovich experiencing what felt like the “lowest point” in her fencing career.

Last Thursday, however, was different. Dubrovich and her team had prepared for this moment, and as the crowd roared, she gathered her teammates for one final cheer before making history at the Grand Palais.

Dubrovich first stepped onto the strip for the team foil event several hours earlier for the quarterfinal against China; it marked her second appearance in Paris since her round-of-32 loss in the individual women’s foil event.

“I didn’t perform to my best capabilities, and I was pretty distraught about that,” Dubrovich told Spectator in an interview Friday. “But I knew this was kind of my shot at redemption. You don’t usually get that at the Olympics.”

Her redemption would not come easily. Staring down China’s Qingyuan Chen, she began to give up key touches.

“I started getting a little tight, a little hesitant, and in team events, they could capitalize on that very quickly,” Dubrovich said.

Dubrovich stressed the importance of having a “short memory” and maintaining a “fighting mentality” in team events because of their fast-paced structure. She dominated in her second match against China’s anchor, Qianqian Huang, by implementing such a mindset. This maintained a crucial lead for the United States, which won the match by a final score of 45-37.

Then, she was on to the semifinals, with a chance for redemption from her disappointment in Tokyo on the line as the Americans took the strip against the Canadians; among them was a very familiar face for Jackie Dubrovich—Eleanor Harvey.

Harvey was not only one of the people standing between Dubrovich and a guaranteed Olympic medal, but she had also prevented Dubrovich from winning gold in her senior year with the Lions at the finals of the NCAA women’s foil individual tournament.

“We’ve grown up fencing each other, both in the collegiate system, but also internationally,” Dubrovich said.

The bout between the former Lion and Harvey ended with each fencer scoring only 1 point in their three minutes on the strip. “We typically have very close bouts in team settings, and we kind of trade a couple touches and keep it pretty low scoring,” Dubrovich said. This allowed Team USA’s Lee Kiefer to take the lead for the United States, scoring 13 points to her Canadian opponent’s 4.

Dubrovich helped maintain the Americans’ lead in her next matchup and watched as her teammate Lauren Scruggs took the strip for the final bout against Harvey. Scruggs dominated, ripping her mask off at the final touch and releasing a victorious scream. Behind her in the team box, Dubrovich stood, tears rolling down her face, embracing her teammates, knowing 22 years after she began her fencing career, she had secured an Olympic medal.

“The beauty of the team event is if you’re having a tough time, you do have teammates there to pick you up as well, both from a fencing perspective, but also just emotionally,” Dubrovich said. “So we just try to be really supportive and caring for one another.”

Their journey together was not over yet, as Dubrovich walked onto the strip to face Italy for her final bout in Paris. Left with a 10-5 lead by Scruggs, Dubrovich stared down two-time world champion Alice Volpi. Dubrovich held her own as the European crowd chanted, “Ital-i-a, Ital-i-a, Ital-i-a.”

“You know, when you’re out there it’s a roar all the time. It’s just constant noise. And so you kind of reframe your thinking and think that they’re cheering for you,” Dubrovich said.

Shouts of “Let’s go, Jackie” could be heard as the 30-year-old held the lead against the world champion, finishing her final bout with Team USA ahead 15-12.

The Americans continued to contain the Italians as, once again, Scruggs took the strip with a gold medal on the line. Things quickly began to devolve as Arianna Errigo, the highly decorated veteran Olympian who served as one of Italy’s flag bearers, was able to shrink the lead against Scruggs. As the crowd roared, Scruggs buckled down, coming back and scoring the final 3 points to make her and her teammates the first U.S. women’s foil team to win Olympic gold.

The team embraced while holding American flags, jumping, and crying in an incredible blur of shock and happiness.

“Thankful and grateful” were the two words Dubrovich used to describe her Olympic win, and those emotions were clear as the former Lion took the podium, tearing up as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in the background.

Not only was this match the grand finale of her Paris Olympics, but it also marked the end of an incredible 22-year career.

“This is my last competition,” Dubrovich said. “This was kind of the perfect way to cap it. I am very happy and content with this decision and think that it couldn’t have ended any better.”

Dubrovich and her fiancé, Brian Kaneshige, an assistant fencing coach at New York University, plan to open a fencing club in New Jersey and continue to stay involved in the sport.

“It feels indescribable,” Dubrovich said. “I was able to get my first Olympic medal at 30, and I never gave up. And so for me, it’s just an indication of perseverance and dedication.”

Staff Writer Emily Michaelsen can be contacted at emily.michaelsen@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec.