Fencer Maxine Esteban during her collegiate days with Ateneo. UAAP Media/File.

MANILA -- Fencer Maxine Esteban, who switched federations from the Philippines to the Ivory Coast last year, is closing in on a ticket to the Paris Olympics.

Esteban will compete in a final Olympic qualifying tournament in Washington DC on March 15, where she will look to officially secure her spot to the Summer Games. She currently leads the race for the direct qualification spot for the African continental zone.

Esteban, now a naturalized citizen of Ivory Coast, switched federations in May 2023 -- a decision that she said was due to "self-respect."

READ: Fencer Maxine Esteban explains decision to switch federations 

"I will continue to work hard and hopefully take back my dream that people tried to take away from me," said Esteban, who played collegiately for Ateneo de Manila University and is now ranked No. 37 in the world.

A strong showing in the Washington qualifier would officially hand Esteban an outright Olympic berth, without her having to go through a wild card tournament, which is reserved for countries with no fencers directly qualifying in the sport yet.

Before her switch in federations, Esteban was controversially dropped by the Philippine Fencing Association purportedly because she skipped the Philippine qualifiers. However, Esteban provided documents showing the PFA had excused her from the national trials because she suffered an ACL injury while representing the country in the World Championship in Egypt.

"Not only was I dropped for a reason they excused me from, but the rule was not applied to everyone in the national team," Esteban, an eight-time Philippine champion, said at the time. "That's why I really worked extra hard this past year."

"I want to repay Côte d'Ivoire for giving me not just a home but a shot to retake the things I worked so hard for that they tried to tear away from me," she added.

Esteban's transfer meant no fencer representing the Philippines is on the list for any direct qualification spot. The PFA will send its top-ranked fencers in the hope of getting a wild card slot this April.