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Phil contingent slugs it out at int’l fencing tourney in Dubai

DUBAI: The 17-member Philippine delegation to the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships has proven to be a force to reckon with, slugging it out with opponents during matches never seen before in these parts of the world.

University of the East MVP and Southeast Asian Games silver medalist, 16-year-old Samantha Kyle Catantan led the Philippine Fencing Team, competing under the Cadet women’s foil individual category and defeating five countries – Kazakstan, Australia, Macau, Japan and Korea in the initial elimination round resulting to three victories out of the five.

2 Samantha Catantan and Head Coach Rolando Canlas
Samantha Catantan and Head Coach Rolando Canlas

In the overall ranking, Catantan came at 15. The next round seemed to favor Catantan as she overthrew Christelle Joy Ko of HongKong. However, a sudden shift turned sour when Yue Song of China stole the victory and defeated Catantan in the intense qualifying round.

Meanwhile in the cadet men’s sabre, Raphael Lorenzo Llagas showed his true fencing prowess earning him two victories. This led him to the qualifier round where he fought against Madi Serzhan of Kazakhstan. During the next elimination round Llagas struggled to get some points and lost it to Serzhan.

ILagas
Polo Llagas

Head Coach Rolando Canlas and coach staff Almario Vizcayno, Ramil Endriano, Ed Dalivas and Eric Brando accompanied the team to Dubai to compete in the Asian Cadet (under 16) and Junior (under 19) divisions.

Hamdan Sports Complex

Organized by the UAE Fencing Federation and the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the President of the National Olympic Committee, the competition was held from February 24 to March 4, 2018 at Hamdan Sports Complex.

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Raphael Martin “Ram” Jimenez prepares in his fighting form

Catantan participated at the Cadet women’s foil event whereas her other teammates Enrico Suplico, Sandro Sia, Ram Jimenez and Polo Llagas vied at the Cadet men’s saber.

Others in the team were Prince John Felipe, Lance Tan, Trino Montinola and Zachary Ang who competed in the Cadet men’s foil. Maxine Esteban, Maricar Matienzo, Anica Abaquin went for the Junior women’s foil joined by Catantan, along with fencers – Reynaldo Perez (Junior men’s epee), and Jolo Viceo (Junior Men’s saber).

suplico
Mico Suplico

Samuel Tranquilan, Tan, Jolo Viceo and Enzo Mercado played in Junior men’s foil and Nicole Apacible in the Junior women’s epee.

Biggest

According to the president of the Fencing Confederation of Asia, Celso L. Dayrit, this was the biggest cadet and junior competition they had so far participated in as there were about 800 participants who registered from 30 countries.

The countries which joined were the United Arab Emirates, which hosted the event; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam.

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Some of the players with their parents

The announcement about the event was made during a press conference at the Dubai Sports Council headquarters, with H.E. Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and Chairman of the UAE Fencing Federation and a member of the UAE National Olympic Committee’s Executive office, and HE Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, in attendance alongside the Assistant Secretary General of DSC, Nasser Aman Al Rahma.

Fencing fraternity

Announcing the details of the event, Al Qasimi said this was indeed one of the biggest Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships in history with a record number of fencers.

“First, on behalf of the UAE’s fencing fraternity and the extended sports family, I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his generous patronage and support of the event,” said Al Qasimi.

sandro
Sandro Sia

“This is the biggest Asian Junior and Cadet Championships in terms of both, the numbers of countries participating and the number of fencers. The benefits of organising such an event are twofold for us. First, our young and emerging fencers get the opportunity to compete and test their abilities against the best fencers of Asia. Second, hosting this championship will provide us with the experience of organising a major championship.

“What that does is, it gives us a generation of fencers who have the experience of competing on this stage, and a generation of organisers who know how to manage and organise such major fencing events.

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Players waiting for their turn

“The tournament also presents a unique opportunity for the sport of fencing to spread its wings, and, on the organisation level, consolidate UAE and Dubai’s position as one of the world’s premier sporting destinations.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hareb said the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships was a distinctive addition to the list of events hosted by Dubai and added to the diversity of Dubai Sports Council’s sporting calendar, which seeks to cater to the sporting needs of all the nationalities living in the emirate.

“Fencing is a sport of great importance because it is part of the Olympic Games and we hope hosting this premier continental championship will inspire a large number of our young men and women to take up this sport, and they will be dreaming of flying the UAE flag at the Olympics and World Championships,” Mr. Hareb said.

Video Courtesy: Artjim Jimenez

(by Abi Bokingo)

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