MANILA, Philippines – After sustaining a knee injury for the second time, Olympic fencer Samantha Catantan braces for another long road to recovery.
“It’s going to be a challenge again for the next few months for me,” said the Penn State captain during a recent thanksgiving party for the Paris Olympians organized by Newport World Resorts in Pasay City.
The scheduled operation for the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee is scheduled on Friday, August 16.
Catantan is expected to be out for at least six to eight months.
“Of course, I really want to be in the Olympics again, and I’m going to take my time to recover since we really rushed my recovery to make it to Paris and we were able to do that,” she added.
The current world No. 87 Catantan bravely pushed through the pain, upsetting world No. 65 Mariana Pistoia of Brazil, 15-13, in the opener, before bringing the fight to world No. 2 Arianna Errigo of Italy in a narrow loss, 15-12, during the women’s foil event.
Catantan, who first tore her left ACL during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May 2023, was able to qualify for the Paris Olympics last April in comeback fashion.
Despite the injury, the former UE Red Warrior star made the most of her time, graduating with an accountancy degree recently.
Following surgery, Catantan plans to pursue a master’s degree in accountancy, looking to play out her final year of eligibility in the US NCAA Division 1.
“It’s always a struggle to balance our academics and athletics life, since I’m not just representing Penn State, but also the Philippines in various international tournaments,” said Catantan.
“It’s hard, but at the same time I started [fencing] early, so I know how to manage my time well…I know my responsibilities, and I think I’m trained for it.”
Catantan will be out for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games this November in Thailand, but her sisters, Sophia and Janna, are expected to pick up the slack.
Despite the long layoff, Catantan knows she still has adequate time to train for the 33rd SEA Games in December 2025, also in Thailand.
‘Always going to be my teammate‘
Catantan also shared that she and ex-teammate Maxine Esteban, now representing Ivory Coast, were able to talk before competing in the same foil event.
“We tried to hang out during our time in the Olympic Village, but unfortunately, we were not in the same place at the same time,” recalled Catantan.
“But before competing, we saw each other and we were able to say good luck to one another.”
The world No. 27 Esteban was ousted in the round of 32 by Pauline Ranvier of France, 15-7.
Catantan also quashed the rumored rift between her and the former Ateneo Blue Eagle.
“She’s amazing,” Catantan said of Esteban. “She’s my teammate and she’s always going to be my teammate. I’m very happy that I was able to go to the Olympics with her.” – Rappler.com