Samantha Catantan practices for the Southeast Asian Games (SEAGAMES) with the Philippine Fencing Team at the Philippine Sports Institute at the Ultra in Pasig City on November 12, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/file
MANILA – Filipina fencer Samantha Catantan completed her redemption bid in the Southeast Asian Games as she finally took the gold medal in fencing in the biennial meet.
Catantan on Saturday clinched the gold in the women’s individual foil at the Hanoi Games to give the Philippines its 8th gold medal.
In 2019, the teenager was unable to deliver a gold, settling for a bronze after bowing to Singapore's Amita Berthier in the semifinals.
It marked the second consecutive SEA Games that Catantan lost to the Singaporean, after they battled for the gold in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The former University of the East (UE) fencer made her debut for Pennsylvania State University in 2021, helping the Nittany Lions finish second in the NCAA tournament.
She won a bronze in the women's foil and earned All-America honors, and Penn State named her Most Valuable Player of the team.