By: Waylon Galvez
Sammuel Tranquilan and Noelito Jose gave Philippine fencing fans a promising glimpse of what to expect in the upcoming 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, with strong finishes in the ongoing Asian Fencing Championships in Bali, Indonesia.
Tranquilan, a former University of the East standout, delivered the highlight performance for Team Philippines after placing 15th overall in the men’s individual foil event. Jose, the country’s top epee bet, wasn’t far behind, finishing 18th in the men’s individual epee.
Tranquilan made a thrilling run to the Round of 16, narrowly escaping Qatar’s Abdalla Khalifa in a dramatic 15-14 win in the Round of 32.
Although he fell to China’s Mo Ziwei, 15-5, in the following round, the 26-year-old fencer remained upbeat about his performance, taking it as a vital step toward his SEA Games campaign.
“Although I lost in the Round of 16, I still consider it a good performance considering what I’ve been through during my World Grand Prix stint, and also in the PFA rankings where I didn’t perform well in some legs,” Tranquilan said in a phone interview with Tiebreaker Times.
“To go as far as to make it to the final 16, it shows that it’s doable to win against other Asian countries. I may have fallen short, but it’s a confidence builder. All the positives, and things where I need to improve, that’s what I’ll bring as I continue to train, this time for the SEA Games.”
Tranquilan added that the same mentality is shared by his teammates, especially those bound for Bangkok—including Jose, a seasoned SEA Games medalist who continues to be a cornerstone of the national squad.
The veteran epee specialist, who previously bagged silver medals in the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam and 2023 in Cambodia, as well as a bronze in 2019 in Manila, reached the Round of 32 before bowing to South Korea’s Park Sangyoung, 15-5.
It was a tough climb for the rest of the Philippine contingent, who faced stiff competition from Asia’s finest.
In the men’s foil, Shawn Felipe settled for 36th, Nathaniel Perez placed 43rd, and Robert Cabaero landed in a tie for 66th.
In the men’s epee, Lee Ergina and Miggy Bautista wrapped up their campaigns at 39th and 49th, respectively.
Over at men’s sabre, Daniel Villanueva emerged as the best Filipino finisher at 29th, while CJ Concepcion (40th), Khiane Felipe (T-47th), and Anthony Concepcion (T-61st) rounded out the rest.
In the women’s side, 2019 SEA Games gold medalist Jylyn Nicanor led the sabre squad with a 23rd-place finish.
Queen Dalmacio came in at 40th, followed by Kaikaku dela Serna at 52nd, and Meagan Co Say at 53rd.
In epee, Hae Abella placed 27th, Ashley Harrison 31st, and Juliana Gomez 43rd. For women’s foil, Janna Catantan finished 24th, ahead of Bing Lozada (32nd), Sophia Catantan (37th), and Miyake Capina (50th).
Despite the challenging field in Bali, the Philippines’ campaign was a meaningful tune-up ahead of the SEA Games.
The national team is hungry to bounce back after missing out on a gold medal in the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, where they returned home with five silvers and five bronzes.
That was a dip from their previous outing in the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games, when Samantha Catantan finally topped the podium and claimed the country’s lone gold in fencing.
Catantan, now recovering from her second ACL surgery on her left knee, is expected to return in time for the Bangkok edition. She first suffered the injury in the semifinals of the 2021 SEA Games and reinjured it during her campaign in the Paris Olympics last year.
With her recovery on track, the team hopes her comeback will add a needed boost in their quest for redemption.
Meanwhile, the action continues in the Asian Fencing Championships with the team events scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday.
