A tale of two fencers: Catantan, Esteban begin Paris bid with goals in mind

Filipino fencer Samantha Catantan is one of the 22 Filipino athletes who will carry the flag in the Paris Olympics 2024. –ART/MARLO CUETO

Two Filipino fencers. Two separate paths to the Olympics. Two different goals.

The podium may be a bit far-fetched for Samantha Catantan and Maxine Esteban, but the former teammates have scribbled targets on their to-do lists when they take to the piste on Sunday in the women’s foil category of fencing in the Paris Olympics.

Esteban has drawn up a definite plan: She wants to crack the top 20 in the world rankings of the International Fencing Federation.

“While living out the Olympic dream is an achievement in itself, now that I am here, I would very much like to continue my fencing goals,” the Filipino-Ivorian Esteban said. “Definitely, winning a medal is the ultimate goal, but even if that becomes out of reach, I am hoping to at least continue building on my world ranking so I can make the most out of the experience here in Paris.”

“Making it to the top 20 definitely would be a step in that direction,” she added.

Esteban will play in the biggest match of her career so far on Sunday when she battles Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Pauline Ranvier, the hometown bet who is seeded 13th in the main draw.

Maxine Esteban—CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Winded route

Catantan, meanwhile, hopes to build momentum for a run at the next Olympics, which will be hosted by Los Angeles in the United States after taking a winded route to Paris.

“I would rather make it [to Los Angeles] by compiling ranking points than go through the same process again,’’ said Catantan, Penn State’s fencing ace in the US National Collegiate Athletics Association who is ranked No. 226 in the world.

That process meant going through a wild card Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) for Asia, where she faced countries which, like the Philippines, had no outright qualifiers for Paris.

That left Catantan with the need for an extra bout in Paris on Sunday before she can reach the main draw of women’s foil.

Catantan faces World no. 240 Mariana Pistoia of Brazil, who the Filipino is favored to beat to qualify for the main draw. Once there, the former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist will face World No. 2 Arianna Errigo.

The only way Catantan and Esteban, the World No. 27, will cross paths is if they both reach the semifinals.

“My goal is to give my all, fight to the best of my ability and see where all those efforts will take me,’’ said Catantan, who hopes to play in more tournaments in the next four years to earn enough points to qualify for the LA Olympics.

“That’s the path I would love to take going to Los Angeles,’’ said Catantan.

Training with Team Japan

Regardless of the outcome, lunging her sword on the grandest stage in sports is certainly an accomplishment for the 22-year-old from Frisco, Quezon City, who hardly had the luxury of playing in various tournaments where points are earned prior to the OQT.

Esteban, however, is looking for more than just seeing action in the Olympics.

“I’ve always said that the Paris Olympics as a goal was never meant to be the final destination. It is a major part of my fencing journey and I hope to accomplish more through hard work so I can inspire young fencers in both Ivory Coast and the Philippines,” said Esteban, who qualified directly to the main draw by becoming the highest-ranked fencer in the African zone.

Esteban competed in several World Cups and fencing Grand Prix, collecting several solid results to build up her ranking.

After honing her craft rigorously under Olympic gold-winning coach Andrea Magro the past few years, Esteban, who switched federations after she was controversially removed from the Philippine national team, spent two weeks training with the Japanese national team in Paris to prepare for this year’s Olympics.

Catantan, meanwhile, prepared in a training camp in Metz, France, in a facility secured up by the Philippine Olympic Committee for Filipino Olympians. —OLYMPICS DISPATCH WITH REPORTS FROM JUNE NAVARRO