‘I was able to fence more confident’: Sam Catantan bares lessons from sparring sessions in Luxembourg ahead of Paris 2024

Pinay fencer Sam Catantan is just a few days away from opening her gold medal bid in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Before her biggest competition yet, Catantan has been busy with her preparations in Metz, France, as well as in Luxembourg, Belgium, where she has been engaging in sparring sessions.

The 22-year-old fencer has been honing her blade against club president Joel Bierlaire and former members of the Luxembourg national team, Xavier and Eric Kamphaus, in Cercle Grand-Ducal d'Escrime Luxembourg.

Catantan's Olympics coach Amatov Canlas, and Penn State coach Matteo Zennaro--who traveled to support Sam on her Olympic journey--were watching from the sidelines.

As she went head-on in her sparring sessions, Catantan admitted facing taller and bigger competition was no easy feat.

“May advantage talaga sila kasi mas mabilis sila and karamihan mas mahaba. I think they're more aggressive and confident. Siyempre, iba na 'yung confidence na nabi-build mo once you're part of the national team and siyempre, pride mo 'yun eh,” Catantan told One Sports’ Denise Tan.

But the Pinay fencer showed her resiliency by adjusting in her second match and eventually showed off her skills.

“'Yung first sa fencing, you have to observe a lot. Kung saan puwede pumasok, ano 'yung mga hindi dapat gawin, and the distance especially kasi sobrang haba niya eh,” said Catantan.

“I think the second match, I was able to fence more confident. Talagang, mas alam ko na kung saan papasok kasi nakalaro ko siya. I had time naman to adjust and I think I have enough confidence din to fence,” she added.

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Catantan’s performance even earned the praises of Kamphaus, who hopes that she can go far in the Olympics.

“The second match was much tougher. She [Sam Catantan] adapted very well to my style, so we could see a lot of improvement. I hope that she gets very, maybe finals, and I'm looking forward to her matches,” Kamphaus said.

Catantan will begin her Paris 2024 campaign in the women's foil individual table of 64 on Sunday, July 28, at 3:30 p.m. (PHI time).

[ALSO READ: SCHEDULE: Philippine athletes at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and where to watch]

Catch her live on One Sports Digital on Facebook and YouTube, One Sports’ free-to-air channel, the Cignal TV Pop-up channel 2, and Pilipinas Live.

Story Summary:

• Sam Catantan is preparing for her gold medal bid at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with intensive sparring sessions in Metz and Luxembourg, facing tough opponents to enhance her skills and confidence.
• Catantan's training included bouts against club president Joel Bierlaire and former Luxembourg national team members Xavier and Eric Kamphaus, with her coaches Amatov Canlas and Matteo Zennaro providing support from the sidelines.
• Despite facing challenges from taller and more aggressive fencers, Catantan showed resilience and adaptability, earning praise from her opponents and demonstrating significant improvement ahead of her competition in the women's foil individual table of 64 on July 28.

[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]