Sam Catantan bags bronze, but falls short of Tokyo berth in fencing qualifiers

Filipina fencer Sam Catantan fell short in her bid for a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after settling for bronze in the senior women's foil event of the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sunday.

Uzbekistan's Yana Alborova defeated Catantan in the semis, 15-10. Alborova, meanwhile, was defeated by Singapore's Amita Berthier in the finals for the Olympic berth, 15-14.

Only one player per event was given a spot in the Tokyo games.

Catantan recently competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association for Pennsylvania State University in the United States.

Catantan was also a bronze medalist during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. —Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA News