Now, at 34 years old, the Hungarian fencer is setting his sights on a fourth sabre gold medal at the Paris Games later this month. As a child, Szilagyi explored various sports such as gymnastics, tennis, and badminton. 

However, it was during a run around an athletics track that he had a transformative moment. He was drawn in by the "blades clattering" coming from the nearby fencing hall.

"As a nine-year-old, I yanked on my mother's skirt until she took me in there," the 34-year-old told AFP. He was captivated by "the elegance of the fencers, dressed in pure white, their movements, the atmosphere," which for him brought back "a distant era when honourable knights duelled."

A formative figure in Szilagyi's career was the late Gyorgy Gerevich, a distinguished coach and the son of the legendary Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich. "He came to promote the sport in our primary school... he made some kind of joke, he was kind and charming, which convinced me this was worth trying out," said Szilagyi.

"He was a great teacher. For him, it wasn't about winning, he wanted to see me willing, fighting, not giving up, respecting my opponent in the spirit of fair play and trying to be better than them."

"He just said: 'listen, Aron it's fine for you to decide, but I feel that you have a talent. I can't promise you will become an Olympic champion, but you have a good chance, and I will do everything I can to make it happen, and that was enough, he put a bug in my ear.'"

From a young age, Szilagyi excelled over his Hungarian peers on the fencing piste. "It was considered strange if he didn't win a domestic competition in his age group," fencing coach Gyorgy Boros told AFP.

"He was only concentrating on the competitions, there was nothing to distract him from it, he was very focused for his age," Boros added. 

Gerevich may not have been around to witness his protege’s dreams come true, but Szilagyi still holds his memory dear. Before traveling to France for the fencing competitions from 27 July to 4 August, Szilagyi will honor Gerevich at his grave.

"I will never forget those moments: when I scored the final touch, when I hugged my coach, when we celebrated together with the spectators, when I sang the national anthem. I felt truly on top of the world, bringing glory to my family, my club, the sport of fencing, my country" Szilagyi concluded.