Dreams become a reality for local fencer
Harry Saner said that there will be slight changes in his training and at this point they know what works for him and he just needs to manage himself as best as possible.
The 14 years of dedication have finally paid off for Harry Saner of Tyshler Fencing School as he qualified for the 2024 Olympics in Paris in July.
He qualified in a Zonal Qualifiers where each continent had a competition and all the top-ranked individuals from countries, who had not already qualified, sent their best fencer for each weapon. The winner of this competition earns their ticket to the Olympics.
Saner expressed his joy, “It is a dream come true. I’ve worked for 14 years to get to this point, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to represent my country at such a prestigious event. What an honour and I am so grateful for the people around me who helped to make it happen. My friends, family, and all my training partners at Tyshler Fencing School and around the country – I couldn’t have done it without them.”
He added that this opportunity is the culmination of a lifetime of work and effort from the fencing community.
“Its importance cannot be understated. For South Africa, qualifying an athlete for the Olympics gives all the young fencers in the country inspiration and motivation to work towards doing it themselves! It’s so important to me because I know it means that fencing in South Africa will grow and give hope and dreams to a whole new generation of athletes.
Saner explained that he looks forward to doing his best in giving the world his best performance yet and testing his mettle against the best athletes in the world.
“The Olympics is such a spectacle and to be a part of it as a sportsman is an absolute thrill! I look forward to making the whole country proud once again. After my job is complete, I hope to be able to enjoy the rest of the event.”
Explaining his excitement when he found out he qualified, he said when he scored the final point he was beyond ecstatic. Although he didn’t want any of the screaming and shouting to incline for the referee to penalise him.
“I calmly walked to the line, saluted the opponent, the ref and the crowd, shook hands and once the match was awarded to me, I roared like a lion. I screamed and shouted until my voice was hoarse and it broke.”
That was followed by a deluge of his family and friends celebrating the win with him which was an indescribable time of joy and elation for everyone.
Saner will be focusing a lot on his fencing both technically and tactically. He will also be continuing to sharpen his mental strength and stay as healthy as possible.
“I won’t be experimenting with any new training exercises that are too hectic, but I will add some small things to enhance my training. I’m taking a well-rounded approach to my improvements. I’m the fittest I ever have been and I’m excited to see how much more fit I will become leading up to the games.”
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