UAAP: Calix Ho defends UP’s epee gold

Calix Ho won gold in the UAAP Season 88 fencing tournament on Friday at the Makati Coliseum, keeping the University of the Philippines’ epee crown with his finals victory.

The 18-year-old rookie out of Victory Christian International School is also the son of actor Dennis Trillo, with mom Carlene Aguilar and Trillo's wife Jennylyn Mercado also present in the venue.

Ho defeated De La Salle University’s Edan Ensamtan, 15-12, in the finals after overcoming Ateneo’s Jotham Thai, 15-10, in the quarterfinals and pulling off a 15-14 comeback against University of Santo Tomas’ Adam Putian in the semifinals.

“It feels so surreal talaga kasi I worked for this so hard, like I put my blood, sweat, and tears to this, and it finally paid off,” Ho said in a UAAP release. “The thought of this day has been haunting me, what if I don’t perform, but gladly Father God helped me.”

Ho added, “I just don’t want to be cocky, and I really want to focus on the team event. Right now, we’re trying to focus on the team event, but this, I would say, is absolute goosebumps.”

With the victory, UP moves to 1-0-1 (gold-silver-bronze) in the men’s events, trailing De La Salle’s 1-1-1. Reigning champions University of the East have one silver and one bronze, UST has one bronze, and Ateneo is still seeking its first men’s medal of the season.

Fencing action continues on Saturday.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News