PH fencing bet Sam Catantan settles for silver after suffering injury at SEA Games 2023

Sam Catantan, the Philippines' fencing bet at the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, sustained an injury that forced her to bow out before her finals match.

She earlier defeated Singapore's Kemei Cheung 15-6 but suffered a twisted left knee toward the end of the semifinals.

Following the advice of her team, Catantan surrendered her next match against Singapore's Maxine Wong to avoid worsening her injury.

The defending champion effectively conceded the gold medal and was forced to settle for silver.

Catantan expressed her confidence about winning the gold medal for the Philippines after successfully defeating her counterparts from Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.

During her semifinal match, Sam bent her left knee when she heard a popping sound.

Although she was in the lead at the time, SEA Games officials had to temporarily pause their match as Sam lied on the floor out of pain. She then stood up to score two more points for the semifinal victory before being stretchered out of the venue.

Sam is a former UAAP MVP who won the first fencing gold medal for the Philippines at the SEA Games last year.

She will compete next month at the Asian Fencing Championships in China and in July at the World Fencing Championships in Italy.