Filipino fencers win big in Malaysia tilt

December 11 ------ IN a combined effort from different clubs, the Philippines bagged a record-smashing 19 gold medals along with six silvers and 25 bronzes in the 3rd Malaysia Fencing Federation (MFF) Minime International held Nov. 30 to Dec. 5 at the Tan Sri Hamzah Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

The QC-SEP Fencing Team, Alabang Fencing Team and University of the East Fencing Team joined forces with Canlas Fencing Team for a combined 17 of the country’s 19 gold medals to go with a silver and 25 bronze medals during the weeklong competition. UE Red Warriors prospects Christine Morales and Yuri Canlas accounted for two gold medals each for CF – which had a total haul of 15 gold medals – as the former bagged the Under-12 women’s foil and epee while the latter captured the Under-10 women’s foil and epee individual. 

Morales also won gold medals in U12 foil and epee teams, silver in U17 foil team, and two bronze medals in U14 foil individual and U14 sabre team, while Canlas also won gold medals in U10 foil and epee teams, and two bronze medals in U12 foil individual and U12 foil team. Willa Galvez, a sophomore with UE, defended her U14 women’s foil title in nerve-wracking fashion. After a 4-1 card in pools to get a No. 6 bye in Direct Eliminations, Galvez dispatched No. 22 Dhruti Sameeksha Mantena of India 15-5 in Round 16, No. 3 Liu Yihan of Singapore 15-11 in quarterfinals and No. 2 Megan Leow 15-12 in the semifinals. 

Galvez, whose participation is backed by Converge, Nickel Asia Corp., Pocari Sweat, Strong Group Athletics, San Miguel Corp., Rain or Shine, MVP Sports Foundation and NLEX, proceeded to beat UE teammate Yuna Canlas in the all-Filipino finals with a nail-biting 14-13 win. On the other hand, QC-SEP’s Rainer Cadiente – another potential UE fencer – emerged victorious in his first international competition as he bested Gabriel Chua of Xavier 9-5 to win the gold medal in the U12 men’s foil. He defeated Liu Yanhe of Singapore 10-6 in top 32, Chen Boot of Malaysia 10-5 in top 8, and Travis Lim of Malaysia 10-4. “We are truly proud of the performance of this batch of young QC-SEP fencers, especially considering this is their first international outing. With the guidance of our dedicated coaches and the unwavering support of their families, they’ve reached new heights,” said QC-SEP founder and Quezon City District 1 councilor Joseph Juico. “Key to this success lies in our grassroots programs. With continued backing from the private sector and other stakeholders, we can envision the Philippines emerging as a powerhouse in fencing in Asia,” added Juico. 

Other gold medal winners in individual category include CF’s Grey Ang in U8 men’s foil, Linus Sytengco in U8 men’s saber and Sidney Peralta in U14 men’s epee, Papina Torre of AF in U17 women’s epee, Hanna Belarmino of Ateneo/CDA in U17 women’s foil, and Jude Canaveral of Pasig Fencing in U12 men’s epee. 

Source: spin.ph