By: Waylon Galvez
With gold medals in four individual categories, the Philippine Fencing Team made a strong statement about its readiness for next year’s Southeast Asian Games with an impressive performance at the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation (SEAFF) Championships 2024 held at the Tan Sri Hamzah Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Veteran fencers Nathaniel Perez in men’s individual foil and Noelito Jose in men’s individual epee delivered thrilling victories, securing gold medals in their respective divisions and highlighting the Philippine Team’s campaign during the five-day competition.
Perez edged Malaysia’s Tristan Cheng 15-13 in a nail-biting finals match.
As the fourth seed entering the Direct Eliminations after a flawless 5-0 record in the pool rounds, Perez displayed consistent dominance. He defeated Singapore’s Daniel Tay 15-9 in the Round of 32, Vietnam’s Ngan Quoc Kiet 15-7 in the Round of 16, Malaysia’s Hydheer Akson Natakusama 15-1 in the quarterfinals, and teammate Shawn Nicollei Felipe 15-9 in the semifinals.
Felipe also shone, pulling off a surprising 15-11 upset against Vietnam’s top seed Nguyen Minh Quang in the quarterfinals before settling for bronze alongside Malaysia’s Goh Wen Hao.
Jose mirrored Perez’s success with a perfect 5-0 pool record, earning the No. 7 seed and a bye in the Round of 64.
He outclassed Malaysia’s Maideen Mohd 15-1 in the Round of 32, edged Ethan Yam of Malaysia 15-14 in a tense Round of 16 duel, defeated Vietnam’s Nguyen Minh Hieu 15-13 in the quarterfinals, and dominated Phoong Thanh Cam of Vietnam 15-7 in the semifinals.
In a gripping final, Jose prevailed 15-14 against Vietnam’s Nguyen Phuoc Den.
On the women’s side, Bing Lozada and Filipino-American Charmaine Andres secured individual gold medals.
Lozada ruled the women’s foil in an all-Filipino final, defeating Janna Catantan, one of the three fencing sisters of Paris Olympian Samantha Catantan, 15-11. Meanwhile, Andres showcased her prowess in women’s saber with a commanding 15-8 victory over 30th SEA Games gold medalist Jylyn Nicanor.
The Philippines swept the women’s foil podium, with Catantan taking silver. In women’s saber, Andres and Nicanor were joined on the podium by bronze medalist Nicole Cortey.
The women’s foil team, composed of Lozada, Catantan, Sophie Catantan, and Hannah Belarmino, clinched the gold medal with a dominant 45-34 victory over Malaysia in the finals.
On the final day, the men’s foil team of Perez, Shawn Felipe, Prince John Felipe, and Sammuel Tranquilan secured the sixth gold medal for the Philippines, narrowly defeating Vietnam 41-40 to seal the SEAFF overall title.
As of posting, the women’s epee team—featuring Hanniel Abella, Jaymi delos Santos, Ashley Mae Harrison, and Alexa Larrazabal—was battling Vietnam.
Vietnam currently holds second place in the medal tally with 4 golds, 4 silvers, and 7 bronzes.
Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) president Rene Gacuma expressed pride in the team’s performance.
“The PFA is very proud of the impressive results of the National Team in the 2024 SEAFF Tournament in Malaysia. This is a positive indication of our preparations for next year’s SEA Games in Bangkok, Thailand,” Gacuma shared in a text message to Tiebreaker Times.
“The collective efforts of athletes, coaches, and stakeholders, alongside the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) continued support, are vital. We remain relentless in our pursuit of more gold medals in the biennial event.”
Gacuma also emphasized the importance of inspiring young fencers and exposing them to international competitions like the Asian Games and the 2028 Olympics.
Rolando “Amat” Canlas Jr., PFA program director and former national team mentor, praised the team’s success in Kuala Lumpur.
“Sending a full team to SEAFF and performing well is a great indicator of our progress as we prepare for the Bangkok SEA Games,” said Canlas, who was part of the 2002 Philippine Team that claimed 11 of 12 gold medals in the SEAFF.
Participating nations included the Philippines, host Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. Singapore, a regional powerhouse, was absent as many of its fencers competed in a tournament in South Korea.
The Philippine delegation was led by coaches Michael Nicanor, Ramil and Rufel Endriano for foil; Oniong Jr. and Al Vizcayno for epee; and Chester Uy, Gian Carlo Nocom, and Alireza Taherkhani for saber.
