Lee Kiefer (USA) can become the third woman to win multiple Olympic gold medals in the women's individual foil event, after Valentina Vezzali (ITA, 3) and Ilona Elek (HUN, 2). Kiefer won the gold medal in this event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021). It was the second successive Olympic women's individual foil final in which the winner defeated the defending champion.
Italy has won a record seven Olympic gold medals and 18 total medals in the women's individual foil event, but the Tokyo 2020 Games were the first since 1988 in which Italy failed to win a medal in this event.
Alice Volpi (ITA) won the world title in the women's individual foil event in 2023 after defeating Arianna Errigo in the final. It was Volpi's second world title in this event, after she triumphed in 2018.
From 1992 to 2008, the reigning world champion in the women's individual foil also won this event at the Olympic Games. At the last three Games, this only happened in 2016.
Arianna Errigo (ITA) can win her second Olympic medal in this event, after silver in 2012. At those London 2012 Olympic Games, Errigo defeated triple Olympic champion Valentina Vezzali (ITA, 2000, 2004, 2008) in the semi-finals. Errigo lost the final in this event at the world championships in July 2023, five months after she had given birth to twins in March 2023. It was Errigo's 10th world championship medal in this event. Errigo also finished runner-up in the final of the women's individual foil event at the 2010 World Championships at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Martina Favaretto (ITA, born 15 November 2001) will be 22 years and 256 days old on the day of the women's individual foil event and could become the youngest medal winner in this event at the Games since Vezzali claimed silver at the age of 22 years and 159 days in 1996.
At the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, no woman born after 1 January 2000 had won an Olympic medal in fencing.
Qingyuan Chen (CHN) won the women's individual foil World Cup event in Paris in January 2024. China last took an Olympic medal in this event in 1992 (silver by Huifeng Wang).
France has claimed two Olympic medals in this event:abronze medal for Renée Garilhe (FRA) in 1956 and a gold medal by Pascale Trinquet-Hachin (FRA) in 1980.
Hungary's last Olympic medal in this event dates back to 1980: silver by Magda Maros (HUN).
The final in the women's individual foil event was decided by one point (2008, 2012, 2016) or two points (2021) at each of the last four Olympic Games.