After years of sharpening her skills and graduating university ranked seventh in the world in fencing, Eleanor Harvey started having doubts.
The Hamilton-born athlete got into a rut and was falling in global rankings.
Despite still being a young, gifted athlete and one of the best on the planet, Harvey says she was thinking about retirement.
“It just wasn’t going well and I couldn’t understand why,” she told CBC Hamilton. “It didn’t feel good.”
Had she left the sport, Harvey wouldn’t have found a new coach and made history in Paris, where the 29-year-old won a bronze in women’s individual foil — getting Canada its first-ever Olympic fencing medal.
WATCH | Hear from Eleanor Harvey after her landmark medal:
Eleanor Harvey of Hamilton, Ont., looks back at her fencing bronze medal in women’s individual foil at Paris 2024.
“I work really hard so it doesn’t feel impossible, but it does feel surreal,” she said.
“I know at this point, there’s no one in the world I can’t beat.”
Harvey was a ‘slimy’ fencer
She lives in Calgary, but Harvey grew up in Steeltown.
“Hamilton will always be home,” she said.
She went to Dalewood Middle School and Westdale High School. When she wasn’t studying, she was chasing her Olympic dream and practicing at the Toronto Fencing Club.
Harvey said she has always been an unconventional fencer.
She was left-handed, small, skinny and someone who had to prioritize defence over offence.
“I kind of developed a reputation for being a slimy fencer,” she explained.
“I was too weak to attack … so I had to score points how I could. People just found it annoying.”
‘Life or death … survival mode’
Harvey got a full-ride scholarship to Ohio State University and made her Olympic debut at 2016, when she earned a stunning victory over presumptive favourite Ariana Errigo of Italy before falling in the quarterfinals.
In Tokyo, Harvey lost in the round of 32 to eventual gold medallist Lee Kiefer of the U.S.
Harvey said she was considering retirement after two decades of work when she met her current coach Alex Martin before the last Olympics.
“That really ignited the passion more than I had ever felt before and that’s still going strong.”
That led her to Paris.
WATCH | Harvey wins historic medal for Canada:
Eleanor Harvey of Hamilton, Ont., bested Alice Volpi of Italy in the women’s foil individual bronze medal bout to claim Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in fencing.
Before the match, she tied and untied her shoes a few times until they felt even.
Then Harvey said she entered “life or death … survival mode” and topped Italy’s Alice Volpi 15-12 for the win.
‘Work hard and you can achieve your dreams’
While on the podium, Harvey said she thought of all the people who love her and helped along the way.
She said her family made tremendous sacrifices to help her succeed. Fencing has a reputation for being expensive and hard to access.
Harvey’s mom, Lise Graydon, who was with her for the medal moment, sold her house so her daughter could afford to fence.
“We had to move in with my grandma. My grandma would sleep on a couch, so that I could have a bed. So, it’s not just my mom,” Harvey said, adding she also had help from people outside of her family.
Peter Ho, a coach at the Toronto Fencing Club who spent time with Harvey as a young athlete, said that played a role in the tough athlete she is today.
“She went through those challenges that a lot of rich kids don’t need to go through. Therefore, she’s way stronger,” he said.
Harvey said she plans on resting before chasing a team medal at the International Fencing Federation’s World Championships.
She also hopes her success will make it easier for others to get into fencing, maybe through scholarships or other programs.
Her advice to others is to do what you love and give it everything you’ve got.
“You hear, ‘Work hard and you can achieve your dreams.’ That feels, right now, like it’s happening for me,” she said.