Canadian athletes are showing continuous improvement at the Paris 2024 Olympics and will likely exceed their 24-medal tally from Tokyo. With the 10th largest contingent, each athlete strives for a podium finish to bring pride to their country.
From a dream once planted in the backyard in Hamilton, Eleanor Harvey has made it come true by bagging Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in women’s foil fencing. The 29-year-old kept her hopes high even after her 7th-placed debut in Rio 2016 and the close-call loss at the Tokyo Olympics.
✨ What a moment! ✨
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) July 28, 2024
History has been made at the Grand Palais! 🤺
In her third Olympic Games, Eleanor Harvey claimed Canada’s first bronze medal 🥉 of #Paris2024 and first ever Olympic medal in fencing 👉 https://t.co/3UV1ZW4MXW pic.twitter.com/lTsVonE20a
The Canadian fencer, not among the favourites for a medal at Paris 2024, made fans think twice. With straight-up wins on the first day, she seemed on the right track to make it to the gold medal but met American Lauren Scruggs in the semi-finals, who crushed Harvey’s gold medal dream with a 15-9 score.
However, the player ranked fourteenth in the world made a classy comeback against Italy’s Alice Volpi, the fourth-ranked foil fencer in the world. Harvey’s aggressive start paid off, building a lead Volpi couldn’t match; she went for a straight 3-0 score in the blink of an eye and soon made it to a 9-4 lead heading into the first break.
The second round seemed to be getting up Volpi’s sleeve as she had to take a medical break due to cramps, but Harvey’s side was not merciful when the game resumed. Having a clear sight of the Paris 2024 bronze, she was there at the end, after the referee confirmed her hard-earned score. The Canadian dropped to her knees, humbly acknowledging her 15-12 score win.
‘Surreal Feeling’ Post The Paris 2024 Bronze
Harvey, after the historic win at Paris 2024, was quoted by National Post, “It’s going to take some time to absorb the feeling because when I scored the last point, I couldn’t believe it, and I still can’t believe it.” “It’s weird. It’s a very strange, surreal feeling.”
This Sunday’s win was not just a historic medal for the Canadians but a gate-crashing moment in the European barricade, which seemed to be always surrounded on the Olympic stage. With Italy, France and Hungary sharing 346 Olympic medals, they kept quite a good guard against any others taking the spotlight. But this Sunday Eleanor Harvey took the moment of glory by raising the maple red flag amidst the European cluster at Paris 2024.
Click HERE for the Medal Tally
