MANILA — University of the Philippines’ Marina Carbonell clinched the first gold of UAAP Season 88 fencing on Friday, overpowering teammate Mariel Flores, 15-5, in the women’s individual foil final at the Makati Coliseum.
Carbonell advanced to the finals with convincing victories over UST’s Ruby Kate Sardenia and UE’s Alyzabeth Gilbert, both ending 15-5. With the defending champion Allysah Catantan absent this season to focus on exams, Carbonell took on the challenge with determination.
“The hardest battle is against myself,” Carbonell shared. “I just concentrated on each point and trusted the training from my coaches. That focus made the difference.”
In the men’s category, De La Salle’s Kurt Maruquez defeated UE’s Khiane Felipe, 15-8, to earn the sabre gold. “After missing podiums in my first seasons, I wanted to finish strong in my final UAAP season,” said Maruquez.
Guest school PAREF Southridge’s Enrico Fuentes captured the boys’ epee gold, defeating UE’s Brynt Ember, 15-9, marking a milestone for the school. Ateneo’s Samuel Gatmaytan and Gabriel Bunagan both earned bronze medals in the division.
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