UNIVERSITY of the East is preparing a hero’s welcome for Samantha Catantan after she earned a seat in the Paris Olympics.
School officials, student-athletes and members of the UE alumni will pay tribute to the 27-year-old Catantan after she won the women’s foil gold medal in the Asia-Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates two weeks ago and clinched a berth in the quadrennial meet in process.
“We have a tribute for Samantha Catantan. It’s not only her, but her family also,” said UE Sports Director and University Athletic Association of the Philippines board representative Rodrigo Roque.
Catanta is headed back to the Philippines to be with her family after Catantan took her tests during the finals exam week at Penn State University.
A fourth year student-athlete taking up accounting, Catantan said she will also get her final clearance from doctors and to be able to compete in quadrennial meet.
Catantan competed in the Olympic qualifiers, while wearing brace on her left knee, which underwent surgery 10 months ago, following an injury she sustained during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in the women’s foil semifinals.
From there, she will prepare to go the Metz’ training camp, which is will be a monthlong activity before she and longtime coach Rolando “Amatov” Canlas head to the Olympics by the end of July.
Roque said school officials were elated over Catantan’s accomplishments, adding they will hand her a certificate of appreciation during a lunch celebration at the UE campus on May 20.
“For the past 14 years, UE has won titles. At nagging teammate nila si Sam,” added Roque, who noted that more Filipinos fencers could have made it to the Philippine national team in the Olympics.
Roque noted that the world’s top foil fencer Kiefer Lee, a Fil-American, who won the gold in the Tokyo Olympics, will represent Team USA, while former national team standout Maxine Esteban, ranked no. 36 in the world, will see action with Cote d’Ivoire.
There’s also Mitchell Saron, a Filipino-American, who secured a spot on Team USA’s men’s saber fencing lineup in the individual and team categories two months ago.
Saron secured his spot after their fencing team bagged a silver medal at the Padua World Cup on March 3 and a gold medal in the men’s saber World Cup in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24.