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Fil-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban with her coach, Andrea Magro

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Kennedy Caacbay

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil" style="width:900px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721232314777viber_image_2024-07-17_23-36-36-674.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Fil-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban with her coach, Andrea Magro. <em>Handout photo</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">–</span> Filipino-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban is making sure that she will enter the Olympic battlefield ready and equipped with sufficient preparations.</p><p>Esteban, 23, knows what&#x27;s at stake at the Paris Games — and she is more than locked in to chase the gold in France as she enhances her fencing skills under the tutelage of Italian master Andrea Magro.</p><p>He has been supervising the fencing wunderkind since her family welcomed his mentoring services back in 2020.</p><p>&quot;Andrea Magro has produced 16 Olympic medals in his career and him being on my side, it really boosts my confidence,&quot; Esteban said Wednesday in an interview with ABS-CBN News.</p><p>Magro is a highly-respected fencing expert who previously served as the head coach for the national teams of Italy, Japan, and Kuwait, and gained recognition for his role in guiding compatriot Valentina Vezzali to six Olympic gold medal wins and 16 world championship titles.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/3/17/fencer-maxine-esteban-punches-ticket-to-paris-olympics-1211"><strong>READ: Fencer Maxine Esteban punches ticket to Paris Olympics</strong></a></div><p>For the world no. 27 fencer in women&#x27;s individual foil, Magro has been a &quot;father figure&quot; <span id="isPasted" style="line-height:107%">—</span> and never in her career has she hesitated her coach.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/3/olympic-bound-maxine-esteban-rises-to-world-no-27-1620"><strong>READ: Olympic-bound Maxine Esteban rises to world No. 27</strong></a></div><p>&quot;Ever since he started working with me, he&#x27;s very passionate and he&#x27;s really a person who plans all my training and my competition and I don&#x27;t have a single doubt about his decisions,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;He&#x27;s more than a coach for me because I think he&#x27;s also like a father figure to me because he also not only teaches me about fencing but also about life. He advises me about personal matters and I learned a lot of things from him,&quot; Esteban went on.</p><p>Esteban also discussed her buildup en route to Paris and shared who she has trained with, such as the Austrian and the Ukrainian national teams.</p><p>She also won silver in the African Fencing Championships as a part of her pre-Olympic journey.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/6/8/maxine-esteban-snags-silver-in-african-fencing-championships-1501" id="isPasted"><strong>READ: Fencing: Fil-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban snags silver in African Fencing Championships</strong></a></div><p>&quot;I continued to participate in many different competitions, and then [I joined] the African Championship last June. Then, I went to Austria for a pre-European championship camp and there, I trained with the Austrian and the Ukrainian national teams.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/3/21/poc-president-still-cheering-for-maxine-esteban-despite-switch-in-federations-2057" id="isPasted"><strong>READ: POC president still cheering for Maxine Esteban despite switch in federations</strong></a></div><p>The former Ateneo Blue Eagle also elaborated her previous training with Magro in Germany and also disclosed that she&#x27;s currently in Paris to train with the Japanese national squad.</p><p>&quot;<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">And then I went back to Germany for some finishing touches with my coach.</span> In Germany, I have been doing daily lessons with my coach. Twice a week, I go to the gym, and then at night, we free fence... Now, I&#x27;m in Paris because we have a two-week training camp with the Japanese national team and some other Olympians. It&#x27;s very exciting,&quot; the former Rookie-MVP of UAAP Season 81 said.</p><p>Earlier in the year, Esteban penned a heartfelt message to her coach <a class="fr-green" href="https://www.facebook.com/Maxesteee/posts/9170862966257853"><strong>in a Facebook post</strong></a> after she qualified for the Paris Games.</p><p>&quot;Thank you for mentoring and inspiring me to become a better fencer day by day. Thank you for imparting all the knowledge and wisdom. Thank you for believing in me, and telling me that “I can do it” even when others try to put me down.  With you behind me, I was always more confident knowing I was in good hands. I am grateful that our paths crossed, and I am truly blessed to be the recipient of your great mentorship,&quot; she said.</p><div><strong>EXTRA SUPPORT</strong></div><p>Esteban has also retained her partnerships in the Philippines despite the federation switch <span id="isPasted" style="line-height:107%">—</span> to which she remained grateful.</p><p>&quot;Actually, a lot of my sponsors have really been very understanding of my situation,&quot; Esteban said.</p><p>&quot;They know what happened and they never really demanded anything from me. So, I&#x27;m really grateful for that and they have been there for me since the start of the Olympic season, and actually ANTA has been there for me since I won in the UAAP and yeah, I&#x27;m just so thankful for them and from the beginning, they said that me being an athlete should be my top priority, not really doing endorsement posts. So, I&#x27;m really happy for that,&quot; she added.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/27/23/why-fencer-maxine-esteban-decided-to-switch-federations"><strong>READ: Fencer Maxine Esteban explains decision to switch federations</strong></a></div><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/5/24/paris-bound-maxine-esteban-anta-renew-partnership-1337"><strong>READ: Paris-bound Maxine Esteban, ANTA Philippines renew partnership</strong></a></div><p>And just like any other household would do, Esteban&#x27;s family was always there for Maxine.</p><p>&quot;Well, my parents have always been supportive with my decisions. As long as it makes me happy and ever since the start of my sports career, they [have] always supported me in all my decisions.&quot;</p><p>Esteban remains hungry day by day as the Paris Olympics looms.</p><p>&quot;I can say that I will do my best of course but there&#x27;s two ways. I think I&#x27;m ready for the Olympics but also for me, an athlete is never ready because every day, you want to be better than you were the day before.&quot;</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/92Yv9qh7ZQ4??si=9PX86UGdxlttTf6i&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Filipino-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban is making sure that she will enter the Olympic battlefield ready and equipped with sufficient preparations.</p>

Filipino-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban is making sure that she will enter the Olympic battlefield ready and equipped with sufficient preparations.

Paris 2024: Guidance of Italian maestro a confidence boost for World No. 27 Maxine Esteban

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Paris 2024: Guidance of Italian maestro a confidence boost for World No. 27 Maxine Esteban

Kennedy Caacbay,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 18, 2024 01:00 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 18, 2024 03:20 PM PHT

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abssports

fencing

Maxine Esteban

Paris Games

Paris Olympics

Andrea Magro

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Olympic Games

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