Juliana Gomez took to the piste at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion for UAAP Season 86 with her eyes locked on one target on Friday: win the epee individual gold… again.
The University of the Philippines standout aimed to demonstrate not only her motivation to prove that her title from last season was no fluke.
She also wanted to show her drive to set the bar higher for herself.
“I don’t think anyone tells you how difficult it is to defend a title – not because of what other people say or because of their expectations, but more because of what you want to prove to yourself,” Gomez said.
The second-generation athlete – daughter of former national volleyball and fencing standout Richard Gomez – eventually found herself on the podium she envisioned at the end of the morning.
With composure displayed throughout the day, the 23-year-old Public Administration major showed no signs of succumbing to pressure despite trailing De La Salle University’s Cyrra Vergara 8-12 near the end of the gold medal final.
Gomez persevered and leveled the bout at 12, 13, and 14, the latter two points coming off double touches.
Then came the winning point: one light for Gomez, thus confirming her status as the Queen of UAAP Epee.
“It all boils down to how prepared you are. In this case, I was prepared mentally and physically, so nothing fazed me, even when the score was tied at 14,” recalled the national team pool member.
“It was a nail-biter for everyone watching, bu, honestly, when I was playing… I was confident I was going to get the winning point because I just believed in the training that I put in.”
After back-to-back championships in the league, the Everest Academy Manila product shared her secret to maintaining grace under pressure.
“I was prepared for anything.
“Throughout my entire fencing career, I’ve experienced so much defeat. I’ve been put in every possible situation, so honestly, close fights like this are nothing new to me. Every time I lost a close fight, I gained something from it, and all those lessons, I applied today,” the now two-time UAAP individual champion concluded.
