Thirteen-year-old Christine May Morales continued to strengthen her standing as the country’s top cadet fencer after capturing the gold medal in the Cadet Women’s Foil event of the recently concluded 3rd Leg Cadet and Junior Championships at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate, Manila.
Morales, a Grade 8 student-athlete and scholar, defeated much older opponents, including her University of the East teammate Willa Liana Galvez, 15-4, in the championship bout to retain her position as the country’s leading cadet fencer in the Under-14 class.
The 13-year-old battled fellow national team member and UE teammate Yuna Samuelle Canlas in the semifinals, overcoming a tough challenge, 15-13, to book her place in the final.
Morales also defeated Yuki Togawa of Hampton Court FC, 15-7, and Regina Zenais Pascual of Republic Fencing in the preliminary rounds after receiving a first-round bye.
The victory added to Morales’ growing list of achievements on the international scene. Last month, she and Canlas faced each other in an all-Filipino final of the Cadet Women’s Foil event at the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation (SEAFF) Junior and Cadet Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Morales emerged with another title.
The Philippine delegation finished third overall in the SEAFF championships with five gold, seven silver and 13 bronze medals for a total haul of 25 medals.
“I’m very happy and excited that our team swept the podium. It was a very tough match against Yuna (Canlas) and Willa (Galvez),” said Morales.
“I thank God first for giving me strength and for the support of my family. Their cheers helped me a lot to gain the momentum I needed,” she added.
Morales said she intends to work even harder as she sets her sights on representing the Philippines in major international competitions.
“More sacrifices pa and training para po mas mapahusay ko pa yung skills ko and hopefully ma-represent ko po ang Team Philippines sa SEA Games, Asian Games and, of course, the Olympics, tulad ng mga idol ko like Ate Sam (Catantan),” she said.
Standing at 5-foot-6, Morales is already being closely watched as a promising young fencer, combining her height and developing skills with experience gained from national and international competitions.
She is expected to participate in the U-14 division of Women's Foil when the final set of MiniMe and Veterans Division matches take place later this afternoon at the PhilSports Arena.
The 3rd Leg Cadet and Junior Championships was co-presented by the Philippine Fencing Association and the Philippine Sports Commission.
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