Fencing is a tough, tricky, and financially draining sport in which few Australians have excelled but Sydney Boys High School student Daniel Iliffe appears to be timing his run to perfection.

Last month Daniel took out the sabre event at the national fencing championships, making him the best in the discipline in the country and, at 17, the youngest person to ever achieve the feat.

Now he has his sights set on the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane and with extra qualifying spots generally available to the host nation and another seven years to refine his craft, it’s very much a realistic goal.

“It’s so competitive,” says Daniel, who readily admits he has lots of work to do to get near the top Asian and European competitors in the sport.

“It can cost a huge amount of money and often it has to be self-funded because it's quite a niche sport.”

Australia last had a fencer at the Olympics in 2008 and has never won a medal in the sport, one of just five to feature in every Games since 1896.

But that’s not a deterrent to Daniel who quickly fell in love with fencing when introduced to it in Year 5.

He trained for 18 months before entering a competition where he finished third and by the age of 13 joined a high-performance program. From there, Daniel was quickly earmarked as a future talent and has since travelled around the globe to practise and compete, including at the under 17 and under 20 world championships.

Sydney Boys High School has its own program and supports Daniel in the sport, something he readily acknowledges.

“The school has actually been incredible, and I think it's probably one of the things I can put down to my recent successes,” he said.

“They've been incredibly generous. They provide some assistance when I need to travel overseas, and the teachers and staff are always here to help.”

The feeling is more than mutual with coach and teacher Dat Huynh recognising the enormous effort Daniel has put in, balancing his studies with a burgeoning sporting career.

“He’s fantastic; an outstanding athlete and also a role model student,” he said.

Daniel admits the dual commitments aren’t always straightforward but he’s not shying away from further study when he graduates from Sydney Boys High School.

He is aiming to study law and work his way into the top 16 ranked sabre fencers in the world at which point an Olympic berth will undoubtedly await.