(UPDATE) FUJAIRAH, UAE: Samantha Catantan made her mark in Philippine sports history Saturday when she became the first Filipino woman fencer to turn her dream of competing in the Olympics into a reality.
Catantan completed her Cinderella story when she booked a seat to the Paris Olympics by bagging the gold medal in the women's foil event of the Asian & Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament (OQT) on Saturday afternoon, April 27, at the Zayed Sports Complex here.
Catantan came through with a dramatic 15-14 win against Sofiya Aktayeva of Kazakhstan in the finals to secure that Paris Olympics berth, thus joining 11 other Filipinos so far who have qualified.
"Until now, I can't believe that I made it to the Paris Olympics. It's still like a dream for me," said Catantan.
"It's the result of all the hard work, all the sacrifices, all the heartaches and achievements. That's why I'm very thankful and grateful to the Lord for what we have accomplished here in the OQT."
She also thanked her parents, family, friends, coaches and teammates.
"Also thankful to my parents, my family, friends, coaches, teammates, the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Fencing Association," said Catantan.
"This is not just a success or achievement for me ... a lot of people have contributed for this to happen — QCSep Fencing Team, Canlas Fencing, University of the East and Penn State University. Again, and again, and again. ... I'm very thankful and grateful. This is a proud moment for all of us," she added.
The 22-year-old Catantan joined pole vault star EJ Obiena, boxers Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas and Eumir Marcial, gymnasts Carlos Yulo, Aleah Finnegan and Levi Jung-Ruivivar, weightlifters Vanessa Sarno, Elreen Ando and John Ceniza, and rower Joanie Delgaco among the qualifiers to compete in the Paris Olympics.
Aside from becoming the first Filipino woman to earn a spot in the Olympics for fencing, she also ended a 32-year drought for the Philippines in the sport.
The first two Filipino fencers to compete in the Summer Games were Percy Alger during the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea and Water Torres — a commissioner now at the PSC — during the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 in Spain.
Catantan's road to the Paris Olympics wasn't easy.
She first tried to get into the Tokyo Olympics via the same regional OQT in Uzbekistan, but lost in the semifinals to Yana Alborova, an Uzbek naturalized from Russia, 15-10.
A year later she won her first gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam, but when she tried to defend the biennial meet title in Cambodia, she suffered a left knee injury with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the semifinal round that required surgery.
That sidelined her for several months.
Her recovery was difficult but her perseverance and dedication gave her a fighting chance to make it to the Paris Olympics. It started with a solid participation in two dual meets where PSU joined, then a second place finish in the Mid-Atlantic regionals that qualified her in the 2024 US NCAA Fencing Championships.
In the US NCAA, she finished with a solid 10th place performance — and that prepared her for this OQT.
"When I started to compete in February, I was actually not supposed to participate but I really want to join the US NCAA — and I was given clearance by the doctors. That's the reason I was able to see action here," said Catantan, who continues to wear a protective brace on her left knee.
After a 4-2 record in the pools, she downed Israa Al Siyabi of Oman 15-4 in the quarterfinal round of the Direct Elimination, and stunned top ranked Sena Hong of South Korea with a convincing 15-3 win in the semifinals.
In the finals, Catantan fell behind 12-9 when she was penalized with a red card by the lead referee for not going to her guard line immediately.
She erased that deficit by scoring three straight points that tied the score at 12-all.
With the score still tied at 13-all, Catantan asked for a medical timeout as she felt pain on her left knee. When play resumed, she scored and made it 14-13. Though the Kazakh tied the score again, Catantan finally delivered the winning point when lead referee David Sakhvadze of Georgia — after a video review — gave her the final point.
Catantan was in tears on the piste as she was joined by coach Rolando "Amat" Canlas Jr. while a small crowd of Filipinos, including teammates Hanniel Abella, Nathaniel Perez and Noelito Jose celebrated the victory.
PFA president Rene Gacuma said what Catantan did was the real definition of what the federation stands for, saying: "True grit and relentless guts."
"We are impressed, grateful and overjoyed with this momentous achievement. She overcame the challenges and stood tall in all her bouts to clinch the win that matters most for our country. She is truly an inspiration for all of us," Gacuma said.