Eric Boggs
Ohio State University has proudly seen two of its former athletes earn Olympic medals within just two days at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Eleanor Harvey, a former Ohio State fencer, secured a bronze medal in the women’s foil by defeating Italy’s Alice Volpi with a score of 15-12. Harvey finished third in the competition, following American fencers Lauren Scruggs and Lee Kiefer, with Kiefer winning the gold medal match against Scruggs.
Competing for Ohio State from 2013 to 2017, Harvey made history as the first Canadian fencer to win an Olympic medal. She won her first three matches to reach the semifinals, where she was defeated 15-9 by Scruggs. Harvey rebounded by triumphing over Volpi, who was the No. 3 seed in the competition.
Harvey’s achievement follows that of former Ohio State swimmer Hunter Armstrong, who won gold as part of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay team on Saturday. Armstrong swam the fastest leg in the relay, contributing significantly to the team’s victory.
In addition to Harvey, another former Buckeye fencer, Fares Arfa, also made history for Team Canada. Arfa, who also competed at Ohio State from 2013 to 2017, achieved the best individual finish ever for a Canadian men’s fencer by reaching the quarterfinals in men’s sabre. His performance included an upset victory over Áron Szilágyi of Hungary, the three-time defending Olympic gold medalist.
Harvey’s success highlighted the second day of competition for Ohio State athletes in Paris. Armstrong also competed in the semifinals of the 100-meter backstroke on Sunday, but missed out on a second medal, finishing 11th with a time of 53.11 seconds.
Ohio State continues to celebrate the remarkable achievements of its athletes on the world stage.
