PARIS – Filipina fencer Samanta Catantan etched her name in Philippine sports history after stunning Brazil’s Mariana Pistoia in the Round of 64 of the women’s individual foil event at the Paris Olympics.
However, her Olympic journey ended in the next round against top seed and world no. 2 Arianna Errigo of Italy.
Catantan, the lowest-ranked fencer here at no. 266, overcame an early 4-7 deficit and an apparent knee injury to defeat the no. 65 Pistoia with a thrilling 15-13 score in a victory that marked the first time a Filipino fencer has won a direct elimination match at the Olympics.
Barcelona Olympian (1992) and now Philippine Sports Commissioner Walter Torres won one bout (and lost five) but it was in the Round of Pools, failing to qualify for the finals at 53rd spot out of 59 participants.
The Filipina’s coach, Rolando “Amatov” Canlas, predicted that Catantan can handle her Brazilian foe, citing Pistoia’s lack of experience in major international competitions. The fencer’s training with Italian coach Matteo Zenarro, a former Olympic medalist, was also seen as a key factor in her success.
“Inaral namin ang laro ng Brazilian,” said Canlas, before Samantha went to practice on Saturday.
“Malalampasan niya ito,” Canlas predicted prior to the bout. “Hindi siya (Pistoia) masyado sumasali sa mga worlds, kaya 50-50 tayo du’n. Puwede manalo.”
Despite the historic win, Catantan faced a formidable opponent in Errigo. The Italian proved too strong, eventually defeating the Filipina 15-12.
Errigo set the tone of the match at 4-0, but led by only 6-5 at the end of the first round.
The 36-year-old Errigo, the gold medalist in the 2012 London Olympics, posted her biggest lead of 11-6 in the second, but the 22-year-old Catantan would not go away.
The Penn State standout was within striking distance until the third at 12-14, before Errigo secured the win with a point in the final 54 seconds for the 3-point victory.