By: Waylon Galvez
BANGKOK – Almost a decade after winning a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games, former national team member Filipino-American Brennan Louie hopes the men’s foil team can finally end its gold medal drought at this year’s biennial meet here.
Louie expressed high expectations for his former teammates Nathaniel Perez and Sammuel Tranquilan, believing both have the talent and experience to advance to the medal rounds and give the Philippines a strong chance at gold.
“I think they’re great. You have somebody like Nat who has been very, very experienced. Sometimes that experience can work against you, it can be added pressure, (but) he’s done this for some time. There are challenging guys, but he’s extremely gifted and I expect him to do well,” Louie said.
“For them (Perez and Tranquilan) to have been on the national team, and part of this program for this long means they have that thoroughbred experience, and I expect them to do well,” he added.
Now 33 years old and coaching, Louie is also in Bangkok as one of the coaches for the University of Pennsylvania fencing team, competing in the 2025 Bangkok FIE Foil Junior World Cup, scheduled from December 13 to 15 at Diamond Hall inside Zeer Ransit Shopping Mall in Don Mueang.
The fencing events of the 33rd SEA Games will take place from December 16 to 19 at the Fashion Mall in Bangkok.
Louie first donned the national team uniform during the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore. He helped the Philippines win a bronze medal in the team event alongside Perez, Emerson Segui, and Wilfred Richard Curioso.
Two years later, with only the individual competition held at the Malaysia SEA Games, Louie defeated Perez in an all-Filipino final. Since then, Perez earned a bronze in 2019 in Manila and a silver in 2021 in Vietnam, while Tranquilan won a silver medal in 2023 in Cambodia.
“It would mean the world to me if one of those guys actually did it. Those are people that helped me develop as a young man. I will not say that I was fully grown up when I went to the Philippines (in 2015). It was a very humbling experience, and those people contributed a lot,” Louie said.
“I think they’ve got great chances as individuals. Those two have been great teammates forever, so they’ve been vibin’ with each other, they know how that is. For me it’s nothing but support to our kababayans, and I’m really excited to see what they can do. I keep up with Nat and the team all the time, and I know they’re working hard. I know that for them, this competition means a lot.”
Louie expressed the same confidence in the women’s foil team, led by 2021 Vietnam SEA Games gold medalist and Paris Olympics veteran Samantha Catantan, along with her sisters Ysah and Sophie.
The eldest Catantan sibling, Samantha, was a rookie and silver medalist in 2017 when Louie won gold. She earned a bronze in 2019, came back to win gold in 2021, and narrowly missed a second gold when the women’s team fell to Singapore in the finals.
Two years ago in Cambodia, Samantha was a favorite to win but suffered a left knee ACL injury. She rebounded by winning gold at the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the UAE, securing her spot at the Paris Olympics.
However, she re-injured her knee in a heartbreaking 15-11 loss to Italy’s top-seeded Arianna Errigo. Since then, she has returned to competition at Penn State University.
“So long as she (Catantan) doesn’t let the pressure of being an Olympian step into the space catcher, I expect her to do very, very well. She’s been working hard with her coaches at Penn State, and she’s a ‘rock star’. And the two younger sisters, Ysah and Sophie, they are sleepers,” Louie said.
Louie will return to the United States after the World Cup and will not be able to watch the SEA Games, but he assured his full support for the Philippine team.
“I want to let them know that I’m proud of them. What you guys have done to elevate the sport in our country is what I wish I could have done,” he said.
“Regardless of what the outcome is, I’m very proud of you guys. I’m very proud of Sam, very proud of Nat, very proud of Samuel, and all eyes are on you guys. That can be so much pressure, and typically we think about pressure as down, but with me and with the people around you, I know that support is coming from under, and we’re pushing you up.
“So when it gets to that 14-14, and you think you’re going to quit, you have to think about these people that love you and support you. That’s the greatest feeling you’ll ever get, and the moment you do that, you unlock your best fencing. I’m very proud of you guys,” Louie added.
