| Samantha Catantan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samantha Kyle Catantan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 1, 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Philippines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Fencing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weapon | Foil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hand | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2017–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIE ranking | Current ranking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Samantha Kyle Catantan (born February 1, 2002) is a Filipina right-handed foil fencer. Representing the Philippines, she will make her Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, the first Filipino at the Olympics since Barcelona 1992. [1] [2]
Samantha Catantan was born on February 1, 2002 [3] to Jon and Aileen Catantan and has three sisters. [4] [5]
Catantan was a product of the Quezon City Sports Enhancement Program (QCSEP) of Quezon City councilor Joseph Juico. [6] [7] [8] She would first get involved in fencing under QCSEP when she was nine years old. [6]
Catantan studied high school at the University of the East. [9] She graduated from senior high school in November 2020. [10]
She would then move to the United States to attend Pennsylvania State University where she would pursue a master's degree in accounting. [11]
Catantan was part of the high school or junior team of the University of the East (UE). In her final year in 2020, she was named Season 82 MVP for the UE Junior Warriors. [9] [12] She would be led the Junior Warriors' in six of their nine straight championships. [13] At UE, national team coach Rolando Canlas was her mentor. [10]
Catantan was recruited to be a fencer of Pennsylvania State University which competes in the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). [14] [15] She would participate in the invitationals and would eventually fence for the Nittany Lions at the competition proper of the 2021 NCAA Fencing Championships, becoming the first homegrown Filipino to do so. [16]
Catantan would end with a third-place trophy and an All-America selection in the women's foil. [17] She was also named Most Valuable Player for her university's fencing team for that season. [4]
Catantan would be eligible to compete until 2025. In 2024, she would clinch a berth in championship rounds after finishing second in the Mid-Atlantic/South Regionals. [18] [19]
Catantan represents the Philippines in international competitions. She would debut for her country at age 15, when she won a silver at the 2017 SEA Games. [5] She would compete in subsequent editions of the regional games with her best result being at the 2021 edition in Vietnam where she clinched a gold medal. [20]
She would win a gold in the 2019 Asian Under-23 Fencing Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. [21] [22]
Catantan qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris through the Asia and Oceania Zonal Qualifying Tournament despite enduring an injury in the final. [23]
Her three sisters are fencers; two of which (Ysah and Sophia) are also part of the Philippine national team. [4] [5] She hails from Quezon City. [4]
| Year | Location | Event | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Individual Women's foil | 2nd [24] |
| 2019 |  Pasay, Philippines | Individual Women's foil | 3rd [25] |
| 2019 | Pasay, Philippines | Team Women's foil | 3rd [26] |
| 2021 |  Hanoi, Vietnam | Individual Women's foil | 1st [20] |
| 2021 | Hanoi, Vietnam | Team Women's foil | 2nd [27] |
| 2023 |  Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Individual Women's foil | 2nd [28] |
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), established in 1938, is an athletic association of eight Metro Manila universities in the Philippines. The eight-member schools are Adamson University (AdU), Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University (DLSU), Far Eastern University (FEU), National University (NU), University of the East (UE), University of the Philippines Diliman (UP), and the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
Baler, officially the Municipality of Baler, is a 3rd class municipality and capital of the province of Aurora, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 43,785 people.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is an athletic association of ten private colleges and universities in Metro Manila, Philippines. Established in 1924, it is the oldest collegiate athletic association in the country. The Philippine NCAA is not affiliated with the NCAA of the United States.
The University of the East, also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" when its enrollment in the past reached over 65,000 students.
The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex is a national sports complex of the Philippines, located on Pablo Ocampo St., Malate, Manila. It is named in honor of the country's national hero, José Rizal (1861–1896). The complex is currently managed by the Philippine Sports Commission, while the property is owned by the Manila City government. The complex also houses the administrative office of the PSC, and quarters for the Philippines' national athletes.
The UE Red Warriors and Lady Warriors refer to the collegiate men's and women's varsity teams of the University of the East. The Athletic Director of the university is Rodrigo M. Roque. The UE Junior Warriors is the university's high school varsity team.
The Philippine Sports Commission is an agency of the Philippine government which tackles matters concerning sports in the country. The sports agency is independent from the Philippine Olympic Committee, a privately-ran organization which enjoys autonomy from the government.
Paolo Mendoza in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Powerade Tigers. He was drafted by Sta. Lucia in 2000 as the first overall.
The following is a list of notable events that are related to Philippine sports in 2014.
The following is a list of notable events and developments that are related to Philippine sports in 2016.
Almario Vizcayno is a Filipino athlete, coach, chef and restaurant owner. He is one of the famous athletes throughout the Philippines. He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas and the Sergio Osmeña Sr. High School. Vizcayno is one of the veteran members of the Philippine National Fencing Team with Richard Gomez.
The Philippines participated at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6 October to 18 October 2018.
Amita Marie Nicolette Berthier OLY is a Singaporean, left-handed foil fencer. She attended the University of Notre Dame from 2018 to 2023, clinching 4 individual NCAA Fencing Championships medals. Representing Singapore, Berthier has won 3 SEA Games gold medals and qualified for 2 Olympic Games.
The following is a list of notable events and developments that are related to Philippine sports in 2019.
NCAA Season 96 is the 2020–21 athletic year of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the Philippines. The season host is the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, coincidentally also celebrating its 400th anniversary.
Celso "Cito" Limjuco Dayrit was a Filipino fencer and sports executive who served as President of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Fencing Confederation of Asia.
The Philippines is scheduled to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024, celebrating the centenary of the team's debut in the same city. Filipino athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games from 1924 onwards, except for Moscow 1980 as part of the American-led boycott.
Maxine Isabel Esteban is a Filipino–Ivorian fencer. She is the 2024 African silver medalist and a 2023 African bronze medalist in women's foil.
Aira Villegas is a Filipino amateur boxer.
Hergie Tao-Wag Bacyadan is a Filipino boxer and former wushu and vovinam practitioner.
