Samantha conquered all odds: Tolentino
IN a gripping down-the-wire finale, Samantha Catantan nipped Kazakhstan’s Sofia Actayeva 15-14 in the women’s foil event of the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates late Saturday night and became the 12th Filipino qualifier for the Paris Olympics.
“Samantha Catantan rose beyond adversity and proved herself deserving of an Olympic spot,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said yesterday.
“She really fought for it to the end and I’m really happy to see her succeed just like the other Paris-bound Filipino athletes before her,” Tolentino added.
After stunning top seed South Korean Sena Hong 15-3 in the semis, Catantan battled from a 0-2 deficit and excruciating pain on her left knee and, with 55 seconds left in the third and final round, connected twice from a 13-all count to nose out Actayeva, breaking down in tears after her win.
Catantan, a gold medalist in the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games, ended the country’s 36-year Olympic drought in the sport since Walter Torres, now a commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission, saw action in the men’s foil event of the 1992 Barcelona Summer Games.
“This is a dream come true. I worked hard all these years just to be here and get this,” said Catantan, 22, who was sidelined by an ACL injury in the semis of the 2023 Cambodian SEA Games and had to undergo surgery and rehabilitation for nearly a year.
She joined pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, gymnasts Carlos Edriel Yulo, Aleah Finnegan and Levi Ruivivar Jr., boxers Eumir Felix Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas, weightlifters Jose Fabuar Ceniza, Elreen Ann Ando, Vanessa Sarno, and rower Joanie del Gaco in the Paris Games.
While she had a breezy time against Hong in the semis and Oman’s Israa Al Siyabi 15-4 in the quarterfinals, Catantan had a fight on her hands against the taller Actayeva, who surged to a 2-0 lead in the opening round.
But this only galvanized the petite Pinay fencer, who recovered strongly and connected with quick and precise hits to gain the upperhand at 5-4 and 9-7.
Actayeva countered with four straight hits to regain the lead at 11-9 before Catantan finally broke her silence, going on attack mode as they battled to two more deadlocks at 12 and 13-all. Play was halted with 1:40 left in the third and final round as Catantan gripped her left leg in pain.
After a five-minute medical break, Catantan displayed her courageous heart to retake the lead at 14-13, time down to 1:18, before Actayeva equalized for the final time 10 seconds later.
With the clock winding down, Catantan had her foe reeling with her go-for-broke attack, delivering the coup de grace as the Kazakh slipped slightly on the piste.
Catantan took off her face shield and slumped to the ground, weeping joyfully over what she had accomplished, becoming the first Filipina fencer to reach the Olympics.
“She really worked hard to put the Philippines back on the world fencing map after 32 years and we’re very proud of her,” said Tolentino of the fencer, an Olympic Solidarity scholar through the POC.
Tolentino said Catantan will join the other Filipino Olympians at the Metz training camp in France a month ahead of the Games.
Two other Filipinos–Nathaniel Perez (men’s foil) and Hanniel Abella (women’s epee)–were also going for tickets to Paris later yesterday.
