FILIPINO foil fencer Clyd Lorenzo Guinto made a strong showing in recent Asian Cadet Fencing Championships where he completed a Top 20 finish in Manama, Bahrain.
Guinto, who turns 16 this July, put together a clean 5-0 slate in the opening round at Pool No. 9 of six fencers in his first ever campaign in the continental meet for 17-and-under.
He defeated Ali Albusaidi of Oman 5-3, pulled off a thrilling 5-4 victory against Dhruv Tyagi of India, followed by a convincing 5-0 win over Uzbekistan’s Radmir Vorojeykin, and came through with identical 5-3 wins in his last two bouts against Abdulaziz Kandari of Kuwait and Trevor Wu of Chinese Taipei, respectively.
A Grade 10 student at Paref Southridge, Guinto advanced to the Direct Elimination round as the No. 7 ranked fencer and dispatched No. 58 Albusaidi with a 15-12 win in the Round of 64.
Although he suffered a 15-5 loss to Japan’s Shun Shiraogawa in the Round of 32, Guinto managed to finish at No. 17 among 80 fencers in the four-day tournament organized by the FIE or the International Fencing Federation.
Faris Alblooshi of United Arab Emirates won the gold, Rui Hayashikawa of Japan took the silver medal, while South Korea’s Beomjun and China’s Gao Tian settled for the bronze.
Ramil Endriano, the coach of Guinto, said that while the ‘all wins’ feat was impressive, it was his drive and passion which really made its mark as far as he is concerned.
“Bihira din naman talaga yung maka-all wins ka sa tournament na kagaya nitong Asian Cadet Fencing Championships lalo sa ating mga Pinoy. I think ang huling naka-all wins was Samantha Catantan in the Under-23 Asian Fencing Championships,” said Endriano, currently the head coach of the fencing national team.
“But for me ang talagang tumatak sa akin is yung drive and passion ng bata kasi prior to the Asian Cadet, kulang talaga sya sa training because of conflict of schedule with his studies. I think three times a week lang sya nakakapag-training. Yet, ang ganda ng pinakita niya sa tournament,” he added.
Guinto, whose brother Yllac also competed in the foil and epee events of the tournament, said it was all about having the right mindset going to the event despite the challenges.
“I knew that I had to do my best. I am already there on the big stage, I need to make the most out of it for myself and for those who have helped me — my coaches, my parents, family and teammates. I’ve built up my confidence and grit. All I needed was to apply everything that I have learned and to give it my all, while staying relaxed and having fun,” said Guinto.
“I felt ecstatic (with the result). It was very rewarding to win all bouts in the pools. It’s something I didn’t expect yet I knew I worked hard to be there and achieve such. Especially in a big competition like the Asian Championships, I am very proud to represent the Philippines by doing my best and winning all my (pool) bouts,” added Guinto, who has national team fencer Michael Nicanor as his coach in Bahrain.
Next for Guinto, a member of the Admirals Robotics Varsity Team, is the World Cadet Fencing Championships in Saudi Arabia next month.
“I’m very excited to again participate in the World Championships in Riyadh, at the same time carry the Philippine flag once more. This competition gives me something to aspire for, to work even harder as I'm up against the world. I know I deserve to be there and I will try my best to win,” said Guinto, whose initial campaign in the world was in Dubai in 2022.
Aside from the Guinto brothers, other Filipino fencers that competed in the Asian Cadet were Antonio Manuel in men’s foil; Miyake Capina, Kaijinsei dela Serna, Ina Pascual and Jodie Tan in women’s foil; Oscar del Castillo, Enrico Fuentes and Diego Son in men’s epee; Nina Canlas, Ashley Mae Harrison, Ivana Salvador and Solana Trinidad in women’s epee; Matthew Luis General, Mairon Jeremiah Moulic, Julian Guile Rosaros and Enrico Joaquin Ronsayro in men’s saber; and Boys sisters Medivh and Maiev in women’s saber.
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