Fencers rule foil event, retain overall title

The national men’s foil team delivered the country’s fifth and last gold medal in fencing last night, trouncing Vietnam, 45-37, and retaining the overall championship in the sport in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games at the San Juan Gymnasium.

Emerson Segui and Ramil Endriano scored seven and nine points in the eighth and ninth bouts, respectively, to seal the victory and the overall championship for the hosts, who closed out the four-day tournament with a 5-2-6 (gold-silver-bronze) haul.

While Segui and Endriano capped the win for RP, it was Amat Canlas who stole the show.

Canlas took the crowd’s attention by dancing at one point during the Filipinos’ semifinals match against the Thais, whom they beat, 45-38.

But the referees did not find Canlas’ antics funny.

As he continued to do the same against Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien, Canlas and his rival were given a red card for being non-combative, their bout was subsequently stopped.

Mark Denver Atienza also suited up for the RP team as a reserve, while Anh Tran Van, Thai Bui Van and reserve Que Nguyen Van joined Nguyen Tien on the other side.

The Philippines bowed to Thailand, 40- 45, earlier in the men’s saber finals. It was Thailand’s first gold medal in the fencing tournament.

Thai Wiradech Kothny, who won the silver two days ago in the individual saber event, scored seven points in the second bout of the championship match against Filipino Edmond Velez to give Thailand the lead, 10-7, which the Thais, composed of Kothny, Ekkathet Ket-iam, Limkangwanmongko, and reserve Kittikun Tratwong, never relinquished.

The RP team could only come closer to within three points against the Thai team at the end of the seventh bout, 32-35. Thailand kept its poise against the attacks of bronze medalist Carlo Nocom in the eighth bout, and gold medalist Wally Mendoza in the ninth.

The Filipino fencers settled for silver.

"I guess it (the gold medal) was really their’s (Thailand)," RP fencing head coach Benny Garcia said. "Thailand suffered a triple whammy yesterday, after losing their gold medal matches to Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines in the women’s epee and saber team events, and men’s epee team event, respectively.

The Philippines defeated Indonesia in the semis, 45-35, while Thailand disposed of defending champions Vietnam, 45-31.

In women’s foil team event, the Philippines lost to Singapore in the semis, 38-43, despite a last-minute surge of individual foil gold medalist Veena Nuestro.

Nuestro scored nine points against Singapore’s Ruth Ng Yi Lin in the final bout of the match but the latter hung tough to prevail.

The RP women’s foil team, composed of Nuestro, Wendy Mendoza, Michelle Mancenido, and reserve Lenita Reyes, went home with a bronze medal, while Singapore beat Vietnam, 44-39, to claim its first gold medal in the sport.