|
By Ruben Manahan IV, Reporter
THREE fencers will try to earn Olympic berths in the forthcoming
World Championships slated September 28 to October 7 at the
Peterburgsky Sports Complex in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Walbert Mendoza, Emerson Segui
and Johanna Franquelli—medalists in the 2005 Manila SEA
Games—hope to perform well in the World Championships, which
serves as qualifying tournament for next year’s Beijing Olympics.
Mendoza won the gold in the
individual and team sabre, Segui was a member of the champion foil
team while Franquelli got the silver in the individual sabre and the
bronze in the team sabre.
“Our athletes may be lacking in
international exposure but they’re very much determined to play in
the Olympics next year,” said Philippine Amateur Fencers
Association President Celso Dayrit, who left Thursday for Paris to
attend the International Fencing Federation meeting.
The RP fencing team, which bagged
six golds, two silvers and six bronzes in the 2005 Manila Games, is
eyeing only four golds while retaining the same number of silver and
bronze medals in this year’s SEAG slated December 6 to 16 in
Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
“As far as our stint in the
SEAG is concerned, we cannot hope to surpass our five golds two
years ago because of limited funding. Still, our athletes will do
their best to bring honor to the country,” said Dayrit, who will
proceed to Russia after his meeting in Paris.
Dayrit, former Olympic Committee
president and current Asian Fencing Federation president, has
nominated 24 names to the RP SEAG Task Force co-chaired by wushu
president Julian Camacho and PSC commissioner Ritchie Garcia,
Besides Mendoza, Segui and
Franquelli, the other SEAG medallists the 24-member roster are Ramil
Endriano, Rolando Canlas, Vina Nuestro, Wilfredo Vizcayno and
Avelino Victorino.
|
