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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider UE fencers test mettle in SEAFF cadet and junior

UE fencers test mettle in SEAFF cadet and junior

Published Jul 20, 2025 08:37 am

At A Glance

  • Eighteen members of the multi-titled University of the East Red Warriors fencing team will compete against some of the best fencers in the region as they see action in the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation (SEAFF) Cadet and Junior Championships 2025 set July 20 to 24 at the Arena TSH in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Eighteen members of the multi-titled University of the East Red Warriors fencing team will compete against some of the best fencers in the region as they see action in the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation (SEAFF) Cadet and Junior Championships 2025 set July 20 to 24 at the Arena TSH in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Philippine fencing team members and Southeast Asian Games bound fencers Anthony Concepcion, Khiane Felipe and Louis Shoemaker will lead the charge for the country as they face tough competition from host Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Shoemaker, who will make his SEA Games debut in Bangkok, Thailand this December in men’s foil, said that competing in the SEAFF cadet and junior meet is a big help for his preparation for the SEA Games.
“As a new member of the national team, and with the Southeast Asian Games coming, every chance to get an international competition, every opportunity to prepare for that is a big boost,” said Shoemaker, the Most Valuable Player winner during the UAAP Fencing Championship Season 86.
Felipe, also a first time SEA Games campaigner but has been a member of the national team since last year, said that joining the SEAFF is beneficial since the competition is very tough.
“Competing in the SEAFF is a good opportunity for us UE fencers to improve. This event is an avenue for us not just to gain experience but more importantly test our skills against our neighboring competitors from Southeast Asia,” said Khiane, youngest of the Felipe brothers after former national team member Tipoy and current national team mainstay Kulai.
Aside from Shoemaker, former UAAP Season 85 Rookie/MVP James Lim will also see action in men’s foil, while in the women’s foil are Willa Galvez, Yuna Canlas, Eia Mendoza, Aly Gilbert and Leila Vizcayno.
Joining Felipe in men’s sabre are Concepcion, Charles Babatio and Marco Palmado, while in women’s sabre Shy Catantan, Nicol Canlas and Celyna Palmado. In epee, the UE fencers are Nina Canlas and Irish Manaois in women’s category, while in men’s are Boo Geronimo and Ruzel Gallano.
Filipino fencers playing in the SEAFF will earn ranking points depending on their finish, which will be added to their current ranking points following the first two legs of the Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) Cadet and Junior Rankings held last February at Gateway Mall and in Ormoc City last June.
The third and last leg will be played this August at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The top fencers through three tournament legs will have an opportunity to represent the country in different FIE tournaments, including the Asian Fencing Championships and the World Championships.
“Everyone has dreams of competing in next year’s AFC cadet and junior, and the World Championships, as well as other (FIE) competitions, so this SEAFF ranking is important for us,” said Canlas, one of the top women’s epee fencers of UAAP champion Red Warriors.
Meanwhile, the Philippines capped the SEAFF minime competition with three gold medals as the women’s epee team of Galvez, Hagia del Castillo and Nana Cruz ruled the event, while Elijah Timbol, Pico Montano and Inigo Divinagracia triumphed in the men’s foil team, and the troika of Jude Canaveral, Joaquin de Silos and Jacob Mayo bagged the men’s epee team title.
Galvez, supported by Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC), Rain or Shine and NLEX, delivered big in the semifinals by scoring 22 points in the team’s 45-34 win versus Malaysia, before del Castillo – gold medalist in the under-14 women’s foil individual – took over in the finals by top scoring with 14 points in a 31-26 victory over Singapore.
Divinagracia, Timbol and Montano defeated Malaysia B in the semifinals, 45-27, before scoring a come-from-behind 45-42 win against Malaysia B in the men’s foil team finals, while Canaveral, de Silos and Mayo edged Singapore B, 45-40, in the semifinals and finished with a dominant 45-32 win against Singapore A in the championship bout.
Drake Chung, Miguel de Guzman, Sean Ragos and Aidan Taguinod missed on the gold as they settled with the silver medal when they lost to Thailand in the finals, 45-39, in the men’s sabre team, while Catantan, Canlas and Elise Acuzar got a bronze in women’s sabre team.
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