Eleanor Harvey adjusting to ‘surreal feeling’ of being an Olympic medallist – Team Canada

CP Picture/Christinne Muschi

Fencer Eleanor Harvey deliberate to maintain her cool at Paris 2024. It’s paid off with Canada’s first ever Olympic medal in fencing.

Coming into these Video games, Harvey’s seventh-place end at Rio 2016 was Canada’s best-ever particular person lead to Olympic fencing. Now, with a bronze within the girls’s particular person foil, the 29-year-old from Hamilton, Ont. has set a brand new normal.

“I really feel like I’m in a dream,” stated Harvey, who entered these Video games ranked 14th on this planet. “I nonetheless can’t imagine it.”

Eight years in the past in Brazil, she exceeded expectations by upsetting the world’s top-ranked participant. This yr in Paris, she defeated higher-seeded opponents within the desk of 16, quarterfinals and the bronze medal bout.

The difference-maker for Harvey, competing on the historic Grand Palais, could have been her potential to remain composed below stress.

Conserving her cool

Within the bronze-medal bout towards Italy’s Alice Volpi, Harvey constructed up a 9-4 lead after the primary interval. The Italian surged to stage the rating at 10-10 within the second interval, and appeared poised to take the lead.

However Harvey caught together with her counterattacking method and gained the subsequent three factors. She would go on to win 15-12.

“After I scored the final level I couldn’t imagine it,” stated Harvey. “It’s a really unusual, surreal feeling.”

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Earlier on Day 2, Harvey discovered herself at 14-14 within the quarterfinals towards one other Italian, Martina Favaretto. The subsequent level would decide the winner. Harvey slowed down and discovered from what had occurred earlier within the bout.

“I understood what was occurring and I used to be capable of hold a reasonably stage head, even at 14-14,” she stated. “I’ve [panicked] earlier than and I remorse it each time. I wished to enter this event, win or lose, and do my finest to maintain my composure. If I lose that approach, I can dwell with that. If I lose and I really feel like I beat myself, that haunts me.”

Household assist

She gained’t want to fret about any ghosts from these Video games. As an alternative, she will be able to have a good time in France together with her mom, who wasn’t capable of watch her compete at Tokyo 2020 on account of pandemic restrictions.

“She’s made a variety of sacrifices for me,” stated Harvey. “So it’s actually, actually cool that she was capable of be right here and watch me have the perfect fencing results of my life.”

Harvey, who started fencing at age 10, says her mom needed to promote her home to afford sending her to tournaments. The pair moved in with Harvey’s grandmother.

“My grandma would sleep on a sofa, in order that I may have a mattress,” stated Harvey. “So it’s not simply my mother.”

Certainly, Harvey now has a complete nation supporting her, with the entire added stress that entails. But when the Paris Video games are any indication, she will be able to deal with it.