MANILA, Philippines — Philippine fencers Samantha Catantan and CJ Concepcion failed in their Tokyo Olympics bid after suffering defeats in the knockout stages of their respective disciplines in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Uzbekistan Sunday.
Catantan, who’s now studying at Penn State University, was one win away from the final round but lost, 15-10, to Russia’s Yana Alborova in the semifinals.
A Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist, the 19-year-old Catantan could not break the composure of 27-year-old Alborova who’s already won gold in the 2015 European Games.
Concepcion, meanwhile, bowed to Australia’s Alexandre Douglas, 15-9, in the round-of-16 in the men’s…
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