By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Noelito Jose Jr. and Wilhelmina Lozada showed great form and captured the gold medals in their respective events at the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thursday, Jan. 5.
Jose bested Vietnam’s Nguyen Phuoc Den, 15-10, in the final of the senior men’s epee event while Lozada clobbered another Vietnamese in Nguyen Thu Thu Phuong, 15-6, in the senior women’s foil.
In advancing to the final, Jose thumped Cambodia’s Savoun Saknuk, 15-2, Filipino Lee Eigran Ergina, 15-7, Indonesia’s Anggi Williansyah, 15-10, and Vietnam’s Dang Tuan Anh, 15-7.
Lozada, meanwhile, had an easy start after earning an opening-round bye before routing Indonesia’s Elda Amelia Siahaan, 15-2.
She encountered stiff competition against teammate Janna Allysah Catantan with a close 15-12 victory before regaining her steam and trouncing Malaysia’s Surayya Rizzal, 15-5, on her way to the final round.
Meanwhile, Kaikaku Dela Serna finished 24th in the women’s saber after bowing in the opening round to Vietnamese Do Thu Trang, 15-7.
Other Filipino fencers competing at press time are Andre Dominic Agatep in the men’s saber; Sammuel Tranquilan, Joseph Den Amores, Reindelle Lacerna and Nathaniel Perez in men’s foil; and Cyrylle Anne Schofield, Marie Ong, Alexa Larrazabal, Princess Honey Arbilon, Andrea Jennelle Matias, Maria Juliana Gomez, Ivy Claire Dinoy and Hanniel Abella in women’s epee.