Silver and bronze for PHL fencing team in Malaysia

THE PHILIPPINES added another silver and bronze medals to its loot in the in the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia over the weekend.

The men’s epee team of Jian Miguel Bautista, Lee Eigran Ergina, Noelito Jose, Jr. and Rex dela Cruz, Jr. tried but failed to wrest the gold and settled for the silver after falling to the mighty Vietnamese in a heartbreaking 45-42 result.

The women’s foil squad of Mariel Flores, Hannah Dominique Belarmino, Janna Allysah Catantan and Miyake Capina, for their part, copped the bronze after they ran into the unflappable Thais, 45-21, in the semfiinals.

Vietnam then routed Thailand in the finale, 45-41, and seized the mint.

The Filipinas actually started strong as they sideswiped Brunei, 45-22, and Indonesia, 45-32, before Thailand eliminated the former.

The pair of medals came a day after Noelito Jose, Jr. and Wilhelmina Lozada struck gold in senior men’s and women’s epee, respectively. — Joey Villar