GOLD finally came for the Philippine fencing team as Jylyn Nicanor won the women's individual sabre in the 30th Southeast Asian Games Thursday at World Trade Center.
The 27-year-old was quicker on the crucial hit as she outlasted Indonesian foe Diah Permatasari, 15-14, to end the drought and nab the country's first gold in fencing.
So close was the match that a video review decided the final two points, with the referee ruling in favor of the Filipina.
It was an amazing run for Nicanor, who had to hurdle Thai opponent and 2017 bronze medalist Tonpan Pokeaw, 15-9 in the semis and had to crawl back from a 5-8 deficit in the final against Permatasari.
This elusive gold snaps the dry spell for the Filipino fencers after previously winning two silver and three bronze medals.
Noelito Jose Jr. earlier got the last of those bronze medals in the men's individual epee, falling to eventual gold medal winner Nguyen Tien Nhat of Vietnam, 15-9 in the semis.
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