SAMANTHA Catantan delivered the Philippine fencing team’s first gold in the 31st Southeast Asian Games on Saturday in Hanoi, Vietnam.
She defeated Maxine Jie Xin of Singapore in the final match
Catantan outlasted Singapore’s Maxine Jie Xin Wong with a thrilling 14-12 victory in the final of women’s individual foil at Hanoi Indoor Games Palace.
The Filipino fencer, who settled for bronze in the 2019 biennial meet, completed a dominant title run including a masterful 15-4 win over Thailand’s Chayabutphat Shinnakerdchoke in the semifinal.
Wong defeated her compatriot Kemei Cheung, 15-10, in their all-Singaporean semis duel only to bow out to Catantan and settle for silver.
Meanwhile, Noelito Jose Jr. settled for silver after losing to hometown bet Nhat Nguyen Tien, 15-11, in the final of the men’s individual epee.
