By MARK REY MONTEJO
Paris-bound Maxine Isabel Esteban added another feather to her cap after bagging a silver medal in the individual women’s senior foil event of the 2024 African Fencing Championship in Casablanca, Morocco Friday, June 7 (Manila time).
Showing her readiness for the Paris Games set July 26 to Aug. 12, the Filipino-Ivorian gave the fancied Egypt’s Yara Elsharkawy some scary moments before absorbing a nail-biting 9-8 loss in a match that was stretched into overtime.
The result was a heartbreaking one but Esteban still managed to flash a radiant smile after the match as he was fully convinced she gave it her all in the gold medal contest.
“Silver in the African Championships’ 24! Missed the gold by 1 point but I’m so grateful for this,” said Esteban on her social media post.
“God is so gracious. Thank you so much to everyone who helped me get this!! To God be the glory,” she added. “Thank you for your support.”
She was even dubbed as a “giant slayer” after beating members of the powerhouse Egyptian squad on the way to the finals.
More than surpassing her bronze medal finish in last year’s edition held in Cairo, Egypt, Esteban is poised to improved her world ranking that would serve her in good stead comes the Paris Olympics.
Before entering the finals, Esteban is ranked No. 35 in the world.
After taking a bye in the opening round, Esteban made heads turn by whipping crowd favorite Sara Arm Hossny (15-7) and Malak Hamza (15-6) in the quarters and semis, respectively.
Though she is now representing Ivory Coast, Esteban underscored that she’s always donning the Philippine tricolors in her heart.
