Catantan pamumunuan ang PH fencing sa Cambodia SEAG

SASABAK sina Samantha Kyle Catantan, Nathaniel Perez at Noelito Jose Jr. sa 32nd Southeast Asian Games nakatakda simula Mayo 5 hanggang 17 sa Cambodia, kinumpirma ni coach Ramil Endriano Lunes.

“All individual medalists in Vietnam will go to Cambodia, while in the team events, 2-3 may not be able to join,” Wika ni Endriano, na itinalagang head coach ng national team noong Agusto nakaraang taon kasunod ng pagretiro ni Amatov Canlas

Tinapik ni Endriano ang kanyang nakakatandang kapatid Rufelrino bilang assistant coach.

“Our goal is to improve our result from the last SEA Games and hopefully, win our first medal in the Asian Games,”Dagdag pa nya.

Ang Pilipinas ay nagbulsa ng one gold,three silver at four bronze medals at nagtapos third place sa likuran ng Singapore (6-4-5) at host Vietnam (5-1-5) sa 2022 SEA Games.

Pinagharian ni Catantan ang women’s individual foil event habang si Perez (men’s individual foil)Jose Jr. (men’s individual epee) at ang women’s team foil (Wilhelmena Lozada Gail Tinio at Catantan) nasungkit ang silver medals.

Ang apat na bronze medals ay galing sa men’s team foil (Samuel Tranquilan,Michael Nicanor,Prince John Francis Santos at Perez), women’s team epee (Justine Gail Tinio, Anna Gabriella Guinto, Ivy Claire Dinoy and Lozada), men’s team sabre (Sandro Antonio Sia, Eunice Daniel Villanueva, John Paul Dayro and Christian Jhester Concepcion) and women’s team sabre (Queen Denise Dalmacio, Allaine Nicole Cortey and Kemberly Camahalan)

Ang 20-yer-old Catantan ay kasalukuyang nagaaral sa Pennsylvania State University kung saan siya outstanding fencer.Siya ay ranked No.89 sa mundo.

“Everything’s going well with the training at PhilSports,” Wika ni Endriano, na nagsilbing assistant kay Canlas simula 2016.

Bilang national athlete mula 1994 hanggang 2011, Endriano ay nagwagi ng four gold medals (1995-1997-2003,2005) at isang silver medal (2007) sa team foil;

As a national athlete from 1994 to 2011, Endriano nagwagi ng four gold medals (1995, 1997 at two silver medals (1997) in individual foil and team epee; and one bronze medal (2005) sa individual foil sa the SEA Games.

Plano rin nya na lumahok sa tournaments abroad para sa women’s epee team sa China at sabre at foil teams sa Korea.

“We are planning to join World Cup events per weapon, hopefully, our request would be approved,” sambit ni Endriano . “The tournament for the men’s epee team was changed because the one in Germany is next month already and we won’t make it. We’ll just find an alternative.”

Pagkatapos ng Cambodia SEA Games, ang susunod na assignment ng national fencing team ay ang Asian Games na nakatakda simula Setyembre 23 hanggang Oktubre 8 ngayon taon sa Hangzhou,China.

“Our athletes are training hard and I know that they will do their best to make the Philippines proud in the SEA Games and Asian Games,” Wika ng 5-foot-9 Endriano, na naglarong playing coach ng masungkit ng De La Salle ang 3 sunod-sunod na titulo (1998-200) sa UAAP.