Filipino fencers rake in medals in Malaysia tilt

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

Under one team lead by former national team head coach Amat Canlas, the QC-SEP Fencing, Alabang Fencing, University of the East Fencing and Canlas Fencing pocketed a combined 17 of the country’s 19 gold medals in the weeklong competition, which shattered the previous mark of 15 gold medals for the country.

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 individual while the latter ruled the same categories in the Under-10.

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 at UE, defended her U14 women’s foil title in nerve-wracking fashion.

After a 4-1 win-loss record in the pools to get the sixth-seed bye in Direct Eliminations, Galvez dispatched taller opponents in No. 22 Dhruti Sameeksha Mantena of India 15-5 in the Round of 16, No. 3 Liu Yihan of Singapore 15-11 in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Megan Leow 15-12 in the semifinals.

Backed by Converge, Nickel Asia Corp., Pocari Sweat, Strong Group Athletics, San Miguel Corp., Rain or Shine, MVP Sports Foundation and NLEX, Galvez proceeded to beat UE teammate Yuna Canlas in the all-Filipino finals with a nail-biting 14-13 win.

Galvez also earned a gold medal in U14 women’s foil team with Hannah Belarmino of Ateneo/Calle de Armas, and CF’s Lily Juico and Bea Ong, and a bronze medal in the U14 women’s epee with Juico, Sarina del Rosario of Republic Fencing and UE teammate Mika Ragot.

On the other hand, QC-SEP’s Rainer Cadiente — another potential UE fencer — emerged victorious in his first international campaign as he bested Gabriel Chua of Xavier 9-5 to win the gold medal in the U12 men’s foil.

Prior to that, he defeated Liu Yanhe of Singapore 10-6 in the last 16, Chen Boot of Malaysia 10-5 in top 8, and Travis Lim of Malaysia 10-4 in the semifinals.

“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, Hannah Belarmino of Ateneo/CDA in U17 women’s foil, and Jude Canaveral of Pasig Fencing in U12 men’s epee.