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Filipino fencing athlete Samantha Catantan practices for the Southeast Asian Games with the Philippine Fencing Team at the Philippine Sports Institute at the Ultra in Pasig City on November 12, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Article (news)

Jeck Batallones

ABS-CBN News

<div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1716253215266IMG_3949.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Filipino fencing athlete Samantha Catantan practices for the Southeast Asian Games with the Philippine Fencing Team at the Philippine Sports Institute at the Ultra in Pasig City on November 12, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span contenteditable="true" id="isPasted"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3);text-size-adjust:auto;caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align:left">Filipino fencing athlete Samantha Catantan practices for the Southeast Asian Games with the Philippine Fencing Team at the Philippine Sports Institute at the Ultra in Pasig City on November 12, 2019. </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3);-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>MANILA — Samantha Kyle Catantan ended the 32-year wait for a Filipino fencer to qualify for the Olympic Games by winning gold at the 2024 Asia-Oceanic Zonal Olympic Qualifier for women&#x27;s foil in the United Arab Emirates last month.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/27/fencer-sam-catantan-is-latest-pinoy-athlete-to-earn-olympics-berth-2244" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: </strong></a><span id="isPasted" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3);-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;caret-color:rgb(29, 29, 29);color:rgb(29, 29, 29)"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/27/fencer-sam-catantan-is-latest-pinoy-athlete-to-earn-olympics-berth-2244" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Fencer Sam Catantan is latest Pinoy athlete to earn Olympics berth</strong></a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>The former UAAP juniors standout follows in the footsteps of Walter Torres, who also competed in foil at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Ironically, she may face fellow Filipina fencer Maxine Esteban, who now represents Cote d&#x27;Ivoire (Ivory Coast), in the upcoming Olympics.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Sam expressed her excitement about potentially seeing her former teammate at the Summer Games. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>“I’m more looking forward to be there with her kasi po hindi lang isang Filipina ang nandun for the fence po kasi matagal ko na po na teammate si Maxine. She is a hard worker po, alam ko na isa rin po siya sa mga deserving to be there. I’m just really looking forward to be there with her,” she said </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>According to Sam’s coach, Amat Canlas, who is also Maxine’s former mentor, both fencers learned the sport together.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>“Talagang mag teammate sila, bata pa lang sa age group magkasama sila hanggang sa national team. Sabay pumasok eh, talagang teammate yan mag-best friend talaga eh. Talagang nag-iba lang sila ng landas kasi parehas nila pangarap,” he said</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>If they do meet during the Paris Olympics, whatever the result, both are winners. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Both fencers have had similar journeys, as both Sam and Maxine suffered career-threatening ACL injuries.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>“Masaya ako kasi totoo naman nag-dream kami lahat &#x27;yan. Parehas sila, tatlo kami nangarap sa Olympics so happy ako parehas sila nakuha. So anuman, what happens sa Paris, magkatapat man sila o hindi, winner na kami tatlo,” Canlas said</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Sam led the University of the East Juniors team to six of the nine straight championships before moving overseas to become the captain of Penn State&#x27;s fencing team.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>She returned to Manila on Monday morning to reunite with her family after months of training and was greeted by students from UE as well as by aspiring young fencers from the Quezon City Sep Fencing program, which she joined at age nine.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>Sam and her team plan to take a well-deserved break before resuming their training for the Olympics.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>“Mag ti-train pa po with Coach Canlas together with the national team for two weeks before going to Venice for a two-week camp,” she said.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>However, her coach said they decided to skip the Asian Fencing Championships this June.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span>“May mga competition pa kami na dapat daanan. Sabi ko nga na &#x27;wag na sumali sa Asian championships. Mag-focus na lang sa training kasi baka ma-disgrasya pa dun eh.” Canlas said.</span><span></span><br/></div>

<p>Samantha Kyle Catantan ended the 32-year wait for a Filipino fencer to qualify for the Olympic Games by winning gold at the 2024 Asia-Oceanic Zonal Olympic Qualifier for women's foil in the UAE last month.</p>

Samantha Kyle Catantan ended the 32-year wait for a Filipino fencer to qualify for the Olympic Games by winning gold at the 2024 Asia-Oceanic Zonal Olympic Qualifier for women's foil in the UAE last month.

Olympics: Catantan ‘looking forward’ to being with Esteban in Paris Games

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Olympics: Catantan ‘looking forward’ to being with Esteban in Paris Games

Jeck Batallones,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 21, 2024 09:44 AM PHT

Read More:

fencing

abssports

Sam Catantan

Maxine Esteban

Paris Olympics

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