AN early match-up against top-seed and world No. 2 Arianna Errigo of Italy looms for Samantha Catantan in the women’s individual foil of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Catantan begins her Olympic campaign on Sunday, 9:30 p.m. (Monday, 3:30 a.m. Philippine time) against Mariana Pistoia of Brazil for a spot in the round-of-32. Catantan, ranked 266 in the world, is seeded No. 33 in the tournament, one spot lower than her first-round opponent, who is at No. 240 in the world.
The next round, however, will be a daunting one as the winner will take on the 36-year-old Errigo, a two-time world champion, and 10-time World Cup winner who captured a bronze in the team foil during the Tokyo Olympics.
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The 22-year-old Catantan, who also competes for Penn State University in the NCAA, reached the Olympics after ruling the Asia Oceania zonal qualifier last April.
Meanwhile, Maxine Esteban, who recently changed nationalities from the Philippines to Ivory Coast, drew a first-round bye as the No. 20 seed in the competition, and will take on No. 13 Pauline Ranvier of France.
The 23-year-old Esteban, at No. 27 in the world, booked a seat in the Olympics after securing points as the top African qualifier in the Adjusted Official Ranking of the International Fencing Federation.
Lee Kiefer, an American fencer with Filipino lineage, will be going for her second straight Olympic gold medal in the women’s foil.
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