A group photo of the national fencing team during the 2022 Vietnam SEA Games. (Contributed photo)
MANILA – Samantha Kyle Catantan, Nathaniel Perez and Noelito Jose Jr. are competing in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games scheduled from May 5 to 17 in Cambodia, coach Ramil Endriano confirmed on Monday.
"All individual medalists in Vietnam will go to Cambodia, while in the team events, 2-3 may not be able to join," said Endriano, who was designated head coach of the national team in August last year following the resignation of Amatov Canlas.
Endriano has tapped his elder brother Rufelrino as an assistant coach, the only change made in the coaching staff composed of Arman Bernal and Almario Viscayno (epee), Eric Brando and Edward Daliva (sabre) and Veena Nuestro (foil).
"Our goal is to improve our result from the last SEA Games and hopefully, win our first medal in the Asian Games," he added.
The Philippines scooped one gold, three silver and four bronze medals to finish third behind Singapore (6-4-5) and host Vietnam (5-1-5) during the 2022 SEA Games.
Catantan ruled the women's individual foil event while Perez (men's individual foil), Jose Jr. (men's individual epee) and the women's team foil (Wilhelmina Lozada, Justine Gail Tinio and Catantan) bagged the silver medals.
The four bronze medals came from the men's team foil (Sammuel Tranquilan, Michael Nicanor, Prince John Francis Felipe Santos and 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).
The 20-year-old Catantan is currently studying at the Pennsylvania State University where she is an outstanding fencer. She is ranked No. 89 in the world.
"Everything's going well with the training at PhilSports," said Endriano, who served as assistant to Canlas since 2016.
As a national athlete from 1994 to 2011, Endriano won four gold medals (1995, 1997, 2003, 2005) and one silver medal (2007) in team foil; two silver medals (1997) in individual foil and team epee; and one bronze medal (2005) in individual foil in the SEA Games.
He also announced plans to join tournaments abroad for the women's epee team in China and the sabre and foil teams in Korea.
"We are planning to join World Cup events per weapon, hopefully, our request would be approved," Endriano said. "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."
After the Cambodia SEA Games, the national fencing team's next assignment will be the Asian Games slated from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 this year in 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," said the 5-foot-9 Endriano, who was playing coach when De La Salle won three consecutive titles (1998-2000) in the UAAP.
Meanwhile, Canlas has only good words for Endriano, saying, "Ramil is a very kind person. He is very disciplined. He's a very good fencer, I admired him when we were both athletes. His knowledge in fencing as a coach is high-level. He's respected by the athletes." (PNA)
