MANILA, Philippines — Debuting Filipina Olympic fencer Sam Catantan put up quite a fight but came up short against veteran Arianna Errigo, 15-12, in the women’s foil individual table of 32 Sunday afternoon (Manila time).
The 22-year-old Catantan showed resilience as she clawed her way back from an early deficit, but the top-seeded Errigo’s experience had the upper hand down the stretch.
The 36-year-old Italian went up 4-0 early, before Catantan overtook her with five straight points, 5-4.
The four-time Olympian Errigo then asserted her mastery and took a big six-point lead, 11-6, as she upped the pressure.
But Catantan did not go down without a fight, cutting the lead to just three, 9-12, with 22 seconds to go in the second period, but her knee buckled anew.
Despite this, the Filipina tried to mount a comeback and inched closer to two, 12-14, in the final frame.
Errigo, who won multiple Olympic medals in the past, did not let up though, getting the win with less than a minute remaining.
Catantan’s first Olympic action saw her win against Brazil’s Mariana Pistoia in the first round before facing the No. 1 seed.