Saber team RP’s last hope for medal finish in Asian tiff

Team Philippines tries to salvage some measure of pride at the close of the Sharp Asian Fencing Championships today with Wally Mendoza expected to spearhead the hosts’ bid at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Mendoza, considered the best fencer the country has produced, banners the RP men’s saber squad out to give the country the elusive first medal in this week-long meet sponsored by Sharp and organized by the Philippine Amateur Fencing Association (PAFA).

This after the country’s men’s and women’s foil teams got wiped out again by their foreign rivals as Emerson Segui and the men’s team composed of Ramil and Ruperto Endriano and Rolando Canlas bowed to the Japanese squad of Naoto Okazaki, Toru Yamaguchi and Yu Saito, 21-45, in the quarterfinals.

The women’s team actually fared better against Hong Kong but failed to sustain its form midway in the bout and eventually dropped a 41-45 decision, the closest the Filipinos got in their quest for a bronze medal.

Later in the day, China booked its seventh and eighth gold medals by topping both the men’s and women’s foil events.

The Chinese men’s team overcame a shaky start to down the Japanese, 45-30, before their women’s squad walloped the Koreans, 45-26.

Veena Nuestro recovered from a so-so outing earlier in the week as she carried her team to a 5-1 lead early on but the Hong Kong bets charged back to move on top, 25-23.

Veteran Roberta Gonzales knotted the count at 25-all with two straight hits before her foe struck with five straight hits as RP trailed by five, 25-30.

Melly Joyce Angeles, the best performer in women’s individual foil at 11th place, and Gonzales were outscored in the next two rounds, 7-10, and the team reeled farther back at 29-40 before Nuestro unleashed a big rally that saw her close the gap at 41-44. Hong Kong closed it out with a thrown hit.

"Sayang, naunahan lang talaga kami," said Nuestro, 23, who placed 24th in last year’s edition of this same event held in Chang Mai, Thailand.

Mendoza, a two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medallist, served notice of his bid by barging into the semifinals of the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifier held early this week before losing to Kazakhstan’s Yengeniy Frolov in a heartbreaking 14-15 result that dashed his Olympic hopes.

Mendoza, who placed ninth in men’s individual saber, will be supported by Gian Carlo Nocom, Edward Daliva and Edmund Velez. The women’s side, for its part will be bannered by Jana Franquelli, Wendy Mendoza, Jinky Naval and Nuestro. — Joey Villar