Maxine Esteban and Yuka Saso still carry the Philippine flag in their hearts with pride, despite now representing different countries in international tournaments.
The Paris Olympics-bound fencer transferred to Côte d’Ivoire last year through naturalization after being controversially dropped by the Philippine Fencing Association from the national team.
“I’m very proud because I think coming into the Olympics, I’m representing both countries: the Philippines and Ivory Coast. You know, you can never really take away the Filipino in me, and I will forever be Filipino,” said the 23-year-old foil sensation.
Meanwhile, Saso, a world-class golfer, decided to keep her Japanese citizenship two years ago due to its ‘stronger passport.’ Under Japanese law, dual passport holders are required to choose citizenship by the age of 22.
“I think I said this in other interviews as well, but if I could put two flags beside my name, I would, but I cannot. I think the whole world already knows I’m half Filipino and half Japanese,” said the 22-year-old two-time US Women’s Open champion.
“Even when I was representing the Philippines, I always thought I’m always half Japanese as well. Even now that I’m representing Japan, I always think I’m half Filipino. That will never change,” she added.
Esteban and Saso recently made waves on the international stage.
The 35th-world ranked fencer settled for a silver medal in the 22nd African Fencing Championships ahead of her upcoming Olympics debut.
Esteban dominated the group stage, winning all five of her matches before defeating 14-year-old Sara Amr Hossny of Egypt in the quarterfinals and 18-year-old Malak Hamza of Panama in the semifinals.
“Silver in the African Championships 2024! Missed the gold by a point but I’m so grateful for this! God is so gracious,” said Esteban in an Instagram post.
On the other hand, Saso, who won the same tournament with the Philippines in 2021, became the first golfer to win the US Women’s Open for two different countries earlier this month.
She overcame an early four-putt double-bogey to start the day and carded a 2-under 68 for a three-shot victory, finishing ahead of fellow Japanese golfer and former AIG Women’s Open champion Hinako Shibuno.
“Well, winning a tournament is a really difficult thing here in the LPGA, and to be able to do that I think after three years, it felt really good. But, yeah, I think the confidence comes from the practice. Obviously, winning a big tournament helps a little bit, but most of it comes from the practice,” said the pride of San Ildefonso, Bulacan.
Despite switching allegiances, the two world-class athletes still receive a huge amount of support from Filipino fans.
And for that, they couldn’t be more grateful.
Esteban and Saso pledged to continue representing the Philippines and to repay their supporters as they navigate their respective paths.
“I’m very thankful that people are still supporting me, and I hope that they continue to support not only me but the rest of the Philippine delegation going to the Olympics,” said Esteban.
“Well, I’ve always been half Japanese, half Filipino. I’m thankful for my family back in the Philippines and all my sponsors who have been supporting me through the ups and downs and all the trust they’ve given me,” shared Saso, who is on track to clinch a spot in the Paris Games.
