By GARY LEMKE in Paris
Scroll through Harry Saner’s social media and you’ll come to understand that a picture really can tell a thousand words.
On his one account he has the Eiffel Tower as his main image. Understandable of course, given that he’s representing Team South Africa at the 2024 Paris Olympics in fencing’s epee discipline.
But no, it appears to have been taken eight years ago, so what’s that they say about dreams coming true?
Scroll down and you’ll see that the now 23-year-old engineering student of Wits University, by way of a St Stithians school background, has never been shy to evolve and show a different face. Literally, as they say.
For example: when he was 21 he posted an update of himself, fresh-face and with shoulder-length hair. He must have been 15 when he joked around with a pair of outsize glasses and thick musketeer moustache. And before he started going to St Stithians, he was 14 when wearing braces.
Now, everything seems to gave aligned. He’s within touching distance of the Eiffel Tower at the Olympics and he’s sporting that French musketeer moustache that he posed in eight years ago.
“You know,” he says as he twirls upwardly at one side of it, “I started growing a moustache for Movember. I’d never had one before. And I thought, ‘I kinda like this thing’. And then, I heard that I might have a chance to be in Paris, so I decided to carry on with it. Here I am!”
There is a newspaper article on him qualifying for the Games, accompanied by a picture of him celebrating with gusto after qualifying in Algeria. He certainly doesn’t come across as camera shy in all that he does and behaves.
“I absolutely love crowds,” he says when asked what step up in terms of spectator interest there will be at these Games compared to back home and then Algiers. “Fencing doesn’t normally attract a crowd, so to have the French home crowd, with tickets completely booked out, is going to be absolutely amazing. I perform better when there’s a camera pointed at me.”
He then puts on a more serious face as we talk about what he’s achieved and where he’s headed.
“Obviously, achieving this has been great. Winning in Algiers for me to qualify was an absolute revelation, and to have my family there was amazing. It was the last possible qualifying slot. Luckily my friends and family were there and my training partners, as well as my brother. Both my parents decided to come and support. They normally come to international events. And yeah, they will actually come here. They’ll arrive to see me compete on Sunday.”
I suggest to him that there appears to be a child in him (a good thing), because he has an infectious personality and a zest for life. His voice changes tone as he hits some high notes and he gets animated. Especially when he starts talking about fencing.
“As a kid, I was just like, super fascinated with castles and pirates swords and light sabers and movies musketeers. And I saw fencing on TV from the 2008 Olympics, and I just decided to ask my parents, ‘can I do this?’ So I started in 2010 and yeah, I’ve been going ever since I was 10. As a kid you say, what’s that little swinging thing? The sport is absolute fun. It’s like you’re a child again, and you’re playing with sticks and fighting your brother. It’s such a natural, natural thing to do.”
He goes on to explain how the scoring system works. It’s really simple. There’s a button on the end of your sword. You can touch the hand, foot, anywhere and one point is awarded for any touch. There are three minutes of three rounds, or the first to score 15 points. So either you win by being ahead when time runs out, or by reaching 15 first. The format at the Olympics is a table of 64 so it’ll be table 64, 32, 16 and all the way to the final.”
We’ve moved out of the sun and into the shade as he’s been shielding his eyes and largely using one hand to gesticulate. He is obviously more expressive using both. “I think I’m quite friendly, but there are a lot of people who are very much in their in their zone, and don’t seem to be very friendly, or don’t want to give you the time of day. Sometimes it comes across as a reclusive sport, but I absolutely love feeding off the energy of other people. And there’s plenty of camaraderie, especially on the international stage,
“You’re absolute enemies on the strip, or piste, but afterwards you can still shake hands afterwards and have a beer together where you can just relax and be ‘normal’.”
South Africa has produced fencing Olympians at Barcelona 1992, 2004 and 2008 and Saner becomes the 15th such athlete to represent his country on the biggest stage.
He knows he’s up against it, but he is determined to have fun, soak up the experience and say “thank you” to his family and friends for being by his side along the road to Paris. And he’ll do it with a boyish smile on his face and a glint in his eye.