BY CHRISTINE MONCADA
THE Philippine Amateur Fencing Association hopes to book two
berths in the Olympic Games in Beijing through four qualifying tournaments
spread from February to April.
Fencing president Celso Dayrit said clinching a seat in the
quadrennial event set Aug. 8 to 24 will not be a walk in the park but the
association and his charges will not use this as an excuse if they have trouble
hitting the target.
"The top athletes in the world are expected to show up in
these tournaments, mabigat ang ma-giging laban natin (in the qualifiers). But we
are confident we can have two qualifiers in the Beijing Games," said Dayrit.
Walbert Mendoza, gold medalist in the 2005 Southeast Asian
Games, looks to secure his trip to Beijing when he competes in the Men’s Sabre
Grand Prix set Feb. 1 to 3 in Athens, Greece.
Veteran internationalist Joanna Franquelli will see action in
the Women’s Sabre Cup set Feb. 2 to 3 in London while 2007 SEA Games gold
medalist Michelle Bruzola will take part in the World Championships set April 10
to 12 in Italy.
Emerson Segui, also a SEA Games champion, will participate in
the Men’s Foil World Cup slated March 1 to 3 in Bonn, Germany.
The top eight finishers in the qualifiers will clinch
automatic slots in the Beijing Olympics in August.
The fencers also have another chance in the Asian
Championships set April 20 to 23 in Bangkok, Thailand where the top two placers
qualify for the Olympics.
"As of now, the athletes are focused on their training. They
really want this badly. We all want to help win that elusive gold medal," added
Dayrit.
The Philippines has not won a gold medal since it first participated in the
Olympics in 1924. Boxers Anthony Villanueva and Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco won a
silver medal in the 1964 Tokyo Games and 1996 Atlanta Games, respectively.
