Maxine Esteban’s fencing journey hasn’t always been smooth sailing. But, it’s a path that has led her to her dream: to compete in the Olympics.
The GAME first met Filipina fencer Maxine Esteban in 2022, a year which, at the time, she referred to as her “biggest high.” She had made it into the top 64 across three consecutive Senior Fencing World Cup tournaments — a huge milestone in the highly competitive sport. But while it was her breakthrough year in her career, it was also a year of big changes, the biggest one being a career-altering injury.
In the middle of one of her bouts at the 2022 World Championships, she tore her ACL and PCL, two of the most challenging injuries an athlete can recover from. At the time we spoke to Maxine, she was in the thick of her rehabilitation program.
“My goal is to qualify for the 2024 Olympics,” the then 22-year-old told The GAME during that first interview, but she was quick to add, “However, due to this injury, I need to be conservative and realistic.”
Fast forward to two years later, and much has changed for Maxine. One of the biggest changes is definitely her decision to switch her nationality from representing the Philippines to the Ivory Coast. But, even bigger than that is the fact that she can now proudly say that she is fulfilling a dream that she once felt was somewhat out of reach.
Maxine Esteban became the first homegrown Filipina to qualify directly for the Olympics and is headed for Paris.
This is a dream she has had since she was eight years old. She admits that back then, part of that dream was representing the Philippines, which made her decision to change her nationality a difficult one to make.
Even though it was a bittersweet move, she is still a Filipina through and through — and this represents more than just a label. Maxine hopes that by carrying the label ‘Filipina,’ she can show other young athletes that the Olympic dream doesn’t have to just be a dream. It can be a reality.
Road to Paris
“I became a fencer and aspired to become an Olympian,” Maxine Esteban says with pride. “I have been working in day and day out for this day.”
Indeed, Maxine’s qualification for the 2024 Olympics was the sign she needed that she was on the right path because her path had never been straightforward.
In 2015, she severed six tendons and two nerves on her hand, which prompted her doctor to tell her she couldn’t fence anymore. She persevered, unwilling to give up on her dreams. However, seven years later, she suffered from an ACL and PCL at the same time, which made her chances of making her Olympic dream a reality somewhat hazy. She has already undergone three major surgeries and lengthy rehabilitation programs. For a time, she had to stop and ask herself if the sport was even worth it.
Not to mention that Maxine also had to face the big decision of switching her nationality, which brought about major questions about what this would mean for her career.
Her ticket to Paris was her answer to any questions or doubts she may have had. Now, she pours all her energy into making the most of this opportunity.
“I’ve been training and competing in all the FIE-sanctioned competitions, and competing in these high-level competitions is very important to further improve your technical skills that you can learn from your daily training,” she shares.
“This whole year leading to the Olympic qualification, I had competed in all the Olympic qualifiers and I had joined a few camps also in Europe. For example, I was in Vienna two weeks ago. And I think all of these really helped me a lot and have prepared me for the Olympics.”
Now representing the Ivory Coast and training all around Europe, is navigating many things all at once — new surroundings, new teammates, and of course, finishing her undergraduate degree, all on top of her training regimen. But even so, right now, everything seems to be aligning for her, from her academics to her new home.
“Since schools shifted to online, I was able to stay in Europe to train while finishing my undergraduate course,” she says.
“They [Ivory Coast’s Olympic Federation] have been very supportive to me since day one. I remember the first day that I arrived in Ivory Coast to meet my teammates. All of them are waiting outside the airport with flowers, and they were just super sweet and super nice. And when they’re there during my games, they always cheer for me. They’re also very understanding of my situation. They know that I’m training full-time in Europe and they just support me emotionally and financially.”
With a solid support system behind her, Maxine can remain laser-focused on her Paris preparations.
Ready for anything
Maxine Esteban will be among the world’s best athletes across all Olympic sports when she lands in Paris. And as this marks her Olympic debut, this is one part of the competition she is eager for.
“I want to meet Suni Lee, like the American gymnast. Or maybe Simone Biles, because I’ve been a huge fan of them and I always watch their videos of their competitions, It will be very exciting when I get to see them,” she shares.
Maxine, inspired by fellow Filipino Olympians, also highlights that she’d love to meet medal-hopeful EJ Obiena. “I’ve been rooting for him since day one, and I’m rooting for him to win a medal for the Philippines,” she says with a note of her Filipino pride.
But perhaps even more than the idea of meeting these big Olympic stars, Maxine is eager to put herself to the test against some of the best fencers in the world. Looking towards the competition, she regards US-based Filipina-American Leigh Kiefer as the fencer to beat, as she says, “She was the Olympic gold medalist [in Tokyo]. And throughout this whole season, she has been very consistent.”
In addition, Maxine will also reunite with her former teammate, Samantha Catantan, who will be representing the Philippines in the upcoming Olympics.
Indeed, the competition in Paris will be fierce, and the Filipina knows it.
She says, “Everyone knows that in the Olympics, everyone has a goal of winning a medal. But the Olympics is like no other competition. Only the best of the best can compete in the Olympics. And everyone here has the same goal.
“So in my maiden appearance, I think the chances of winning a medal will be quite a challenge for me. But if I finish in the top 16 of all the 34 fencers who qualified, then I will be very happy already. And everyone in the top 16 is a world champion or a World Cup medalist. So I think this will be very challenging.”
Regardless of who she faces on the piste, Maxine’s past competitions — such as her 2022 World Championships appearance where she pushed herself to score a winning point while already injured — show that she will not be going down without a fight.
The Filipina within
Even though Maxine Esteban changed her nationality and decided to represent the Ivory Coast for the remainder of her fencing career, she sees this as a unique opportunity to inspire young athletes from more parts of the world — of course, the Philippines included.
“I think being the first homegrown Filipina to qualify directly in the Olympics for this sport, even if I’m not representing the Philippines, is going to boost not only the state of Philippine sports, but also the morale of many young athletes,” she says.
Maxine knows this because she was a young athlete herself, too, not long ago. She started out playing many different sports including swimming, badminton, taekwondo, and figure skating. But it was fencing that stuck.
“It really teaches me how to have the grace of a woman and the strength of a man,” she explains.
“It’s like physical chess. It’s not all about speed. You have to think a lot during a game. And it will not just hone your physical abilities, but it will also hone you to strategize in many different ways. So I think it’s very interesting and it’s really a fun sport to try.”
This is what she hopes for fencing in the Philippines.
Maxine making history as the first homegrown Filipina to qualify for the Olympics, along with Sam Catantan, who is the Philippines’ first fencing representative since 1992, is a great marker of growth in itself — and it could spark even more dreamers just like them.
“From [fencing being an interest], it became a passion, and then a dream.”
Now that she is 24 years old and bound for the Olympics, Maxine knows what the journey is like to turn a dream into a reality, and she hopes she can be a role model to any other young athlete today who has a dream.
“For the young athletes, I see my 12-year-old self all the time,” she says.
“Of course, there are many challenges along the way. For Filipino athletes, there are so many challenges, but it comprises the lack of infrastructure, mainly the lack of world-class training facilities, coaches, and exposure to international competitions. But also the mental and emotional well-being benefits…
“All these are important in grooming a world-class athlete. But qualifying in the Olympics is a testament that amidst all these challenges, the Filipino can do it. And I hope that this will serve as an inspiration that there is no limit to reaching a person’s dream.
“If you dream it, then it will come.”
Banner image from International Fencing Federation on Facebook.
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