Xavier Fencing Cup a huge success

MANILA, Philippines - The second Xavier School Fencing Cup 2014 proved to be a big success in terms of participation, quality of competition and overall staging with organizers vowing to sustain the gains of the event and at the same time further promote and develop the sport where the country has strong chances to medal in various international competitions.

University of the East and host Xavier School stamped their class and dominated the day-long tournament by racking up 15 and 14 medals, respectively, in various categories at the Jacinto Tiu gym in San Juan with the event luring the leading fencers from the top fencing clubs, schools and universities in the National Capital Region.

“We put up this tournament last year to promote the sport and help it gain a mainstream appeal like basketball and football,” said Alex Alianan, parent-adviser of Xavier School Fencing varsity team.

 “This tournament also aims to showcase the skills and talent of Filipino fencers, who with their build, agility, speed and discipline could be at par with the world best,” he added.

Aside from UE and the host school, others which took part in the event were Ateneo, De La Salle-Zobel, British School of Manila, FEU Fern, MIIS, LAMS, St. Jude, St. Paul and Poveda.

Titles disputed were in the 7-9 age group and 16-18 category for boys and girls which featured individual and team events for epee, foil and sabre.

Samuel Tranquilan defeated FEU’s John Christer Concepcion for the gold in the boys’ 16-18 foil to lead UE’s nine-gold romp in the event. Other winners for the Recto-based fencers were Divine Romero (13-15 girls’ foil), Myckle Rein Bustos (13-15 girls epee), Jeremy Malcolm Valena (13-15 boys sabre), Prince John Felipe (13-15 boys’ foil), Reynaldo Perez Jr. (13-15 boys’ epee) and Anthony Tolentino (10-12 boys’ sabre) while its girls’ and boys’ squads took the 13-15 foil golds.

Martin Araya held off Endromel Montecino to cop the 16-18 boys’ epee gold for Xavier School, whose Team B also ruled the 16-18 boys team epee.

Other winners were BSM’s Samuel Martin (7-9 boys’ foil). QC-SEP’s Shareen Angel Beltran (7-9 girls’ foil), Air21’s Anthony Tolentino (10-12 boys’ sabre), Akari’s Mia Esteban (10-12 girls’ foil) and FEU Fern (16-18 boys’ team foil).