SAM Catantan was eliminated in the table of 32 by world No. 2 Arianna Errigo of Italy, 15-12, despite putting up a brave fight in the women’s individual foil of the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Grand Palais.
An overwhelming underdog fighting with a bum knee, the No. 266-ranked Catantan went toe-to-toe with the top-seeded fencer in a gallant bid to keep alive the Philippines’ first appearance in Olympic fencing in 32 years.
Walter Torres, now a commissioner at the Philippine Sports Commission, was the last Filipino fencer who saw action in the Olympics, doing so in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The Penn State University fencer kept the fight going after falling behind 0-4 against the 10-time World Cup titlist. Catantan even grabbed a 5-4 lead during the first period which eventually ended with the Filipina fencer only down by one, 6-5.
Errigo began to put distance against Catantan, posting a 13-9 lead in the second period shortly after the painful left knee that she began experiencing during her first match in Paris acted up again.
The Filipina fencer, though, fought back and still came within two points, 14-12, in the third period.
The 36-year-old Errigo, a three-time Olympic medalist, finally put her away at the 54-second mark of the third and final period.
The 22-year-old Catantan still ended her Olympic debut with a victory to show after overcoming Mariana Pistoia of Brazil, 15-13, in the table of 64.
Catantan came back from 7-4 downin the first period against her Brazilian opponent, even after the same left knee that was repaired after a torn ACL during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia acted up.
Catantan finished off Pistoia by scoring the final two points in the table of 64 contest to arrange a clash against Errigo.
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