Eleanor Harvey reaches quarterfinals of Olympic women’s foil fencing – Canadian Sport Scene

Eleanor Harvey of Hamilton, Ontario reached the quarterfinals of the women’s foil fencing tournament of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This is the second straight day a Canadian fencer reached the quarterfinals after Fares Arfa qualified for the quarterfinals in the men’s sabre event on Saturday.

In the third round, Harvey continued a Canadian theme. She delivered an upset. Harvey, the 12th seed, beat the fifth seed, Julia Walczyk-Klimaszyk of Poland 15-6. Walczyk-Klimaszyk is the reigning European Games gold medalist. Last year in Walczyk-Klimaszyk’s native land of Poland, Walczyk-Klimaszyk defeated Flora Pasztor of Hungary in the final in Krakow-Malopolska, Poland.

Next up for Harvey in the quarterfinals is another formidable opponent. She faces the tournament’s fourth seed, Italy’s Martina Favaretto. To date, Favaretto won the bronze medal for Italy in the individual foil event at the 2023 World Fencing Championships in Favaretto’s country of Italy, with Milan being the specific host city.

Harvey’s most notable accomplishment was winning the gold medal in the women’s team foil event at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. She won alongside Alanna Goldie of Calgary, Alberta, and Kelleigh Ryan of Ottawa, Ontario. The other three women’s foil quarterfinal matchups have Arianna Errigo of Italy versus Lauren Scruggs of the United States, Alice Volpi of Italy versus Anne Sauer of Germany, and Lee Kiefer of the United States versus Pasztor.