Maxine Esteban reflects on fulfilling her lifelong Olympic dream, what she learned, and what lies ahead for her.
With her Paris 2024 Olympics appearance, Maxine Esteban finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of competing in the Summer Games. Competing for Ivory Coast, the Philippine-born fencer debuted in the women’s foil individual round of 32 against hometown bet Pauline Ranvier.
Despite losing 7-15 in her bout, Maxine remains happy with her Olympic debut. After all, there’s no shame either in losing to an Olympic medalist like Ranvier.
“It was very good because parang finally all my hard work has come into fruition and being there was really so overwhelming. And yeah, I was really honored that I was fencing the Tokyo Olympic silver [women’s foil team] medalist…I knew that it would be a hard match but I wanted to give it my all,” she told The GAME along the sidelines of a G-SHOCK event last Friday.
Maxine also left Paris with a share of learnings, the first being confidence. After all, qualifying for the Olympics is already a telltale sign of one’s skill as an athlete.
“So, I think going on into the future, I think I should be more confident in myself. And yeah, I guess that was one of my biggest takeaways in the Olympics. Kasi syempre, everyone there [are] the best fencers in the world,” she says.
Patience is another aspect Maxine hopes to improve on. Admittedly, it’s something she’s been trying to learn as a fencer well before the Summer Games.
Only this time, it was highlighted against her more experienced foe.
“My coach always tells me…kasi he’s Italian and he always teaches me na I have to be patient in the piste. And I think that’s one of the things that I lack in fencing because I always…I’m very impatient in the piste. And yeah, so, I have to be slower and to observe more the opponent,” she explained.
There was also the Filipino sporting excellence in the Paris Olympics. Still a proud Filipina, Maxine says: “I’ve always said this before, sobrang talented ng Filipino. I mean, sobrang dami ko namimeet everywhere around the world na mga Filipino athletes na sobrang talented.”
Two other fencers who competed were former national teammate Sam Catantan and her “good friend” Filipina-American Lee Kiefer. A hobbled Catantan nearly upset World No. 2 Arianna Errigo, while Kiefer defended her Olympic gold medal in women’s individual foil.
Team Philippines also had a historic campaign led by Carlos Yulo’s double golds in artistic gymnastics, and bronze medals from boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.
“And I just hope na mas maraming suporta na makuha ng mga Filipino athletes because sobrang laki ng potential. And yeah, I really think that, ‘yun nga, na sobrang talented,” she said, echoing a familiar advocacy.
Time off
Having trained for four years straight, Maxine Esteban will now be reconnecting with her family and friends here in the Philippines. Like other Olympians, she’s coming off a highly rigorous buildup for Paris, thus the need for a short break
Maxine will also undergo therapy for her knee injury that lingered throughout her Olympic run.
“Of course, may wear and tear din yung ACL ko. And, I’ve been training super hard, twice or sometimes even thrice a day. So, minsan, sumasakit yung knee ko,” she explained. “But then, I didn’t really want to make it as an excuse to, you know, not work hard and to stop fencing. So, I owe it to the people who still believe in me.”
By her estimates, Maxine will be on a break until December. Within that period, she’ll limit herself to basic gym activities alongside her knee therapy.
Still, she had this to say about the 2028 L.A. Olympics: “If God willing, then, of course, it would be an honor to qualify in the Olympics again.”
And as we wait for Maxine’s next move, she’ll have the support from not one, but two countries: the Philippines, and Ivory Coast.
“They’re super proud of me [Ivory Coast]. And, yeah, they’re very happy. They’ve always been very understanding with my training schedules,” she said of her adoptive country.
The Philippines, meanwhile, houses Maxine’s closest connections. “Like my friends, my family, my supporters…I’m very thankful to have them in my life.”
Banner Image from the International Fencing Federation on X.