Olympian Sam Catantan undergoes surgery for ACL injury

Filipino Olympian Sam Catantan underwent surgery on Friday to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) she injured while competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

According to Catantan's mother, the fencer underwent a patellar tendon graft at around 7:00 a.m. this morning and was in good condition.

“Hopefully po mabilis makalakad agad kasi kailangan niya din po makabalik ng first week of September para po sa masteral niya,” Sam’s mother, Aileen Lim Catantan, told GMA News Online in an online interview.

[Hopefully she is able to walk soon because she needs to get back to the US by the first week of September for her masteral studies.]

Catantan, who recently graduated from Pennsylvania State University, is returning to pursue a graduate degree in Accountancy. She also remains eligible to compete in the US NCAA when she recovers.

In Paris, Catantan defeated Brazil's Mariana Pistoia in the Round of 64 before falling to then world no. 2 Arianna Errigo of Italy in the Round of 32.

However, she injured the same left knee which was also injured last year. She hurt herself in her first round match and competed in the second with the injury.

She will focus now on making a full recovery after rushing her return from her previous injury to be able to make it back in time to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

“It's gonna be a challenge again for the next few months for me but of course, I really want to be in the Olympics again and I'm gonna take my time to recover kasi last year minadali namin mag-recover for me to make it to Paris and we're able to do that. 'Yung risk talaga na nandoon is retearing my ACL," Sam said last Tuesday at a homecoming party.

[It’s gonna be a challenge again for the next few months for me but of course, I really want to be in the Olympics again and I’m gonna take my time to recover because last year we rushed my recovery for me to make it to Paris and we’re able to do that. The risk was there for me to retear my ACL.]

Catantan is now no. 87 in the world rankings from being no. 266 before the Paris Games.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News