Confident national fencers shoot for golds in SEAG

SINGAPORE—What they’ve learned in Hong Kong, Filipino fencers hope to make good use in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in a jiffy.

Their ranks beefed up by two Filipino-Americans with remarkable credentials, the Nationals start their campaign for gold medals at OCBC Hall 2 on Wednesday.

“We could be good for two to three golds,’’ said head coach Bennie Garcia, pointing out that the 15-day training in Hong Kong last month definitely made the team stronger.

Propping up their chances are foil aces Brennan Louie and Wilfred Curioso, who honed their skills in the United States.

Louie was a member of University of California at San Diego fencing team that ruled the men’s foil in the 2008 Pacific Coast Championships.

Curioso won the Paris International Cup back in 2007 and formed part of the 2009 US cadet world championship squad.

Garcia said the team also has top gold prospects in foil veterans Emerson Segui and Nathaniel Perez and women’s epee specialist Harlene Orendain. Segui and Orendain both won the gold in the 2007 Games in Thailand.