December 26, 2024 | 5:06pm
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban is remembering her roots through a foundation with her name geared toward student-athletes.
The Olympian has been making waves since coming home from Paris 2024 where she represented Cote d’Ivoire, finishing her stint in the women’s foil individual table of 32.
Since returning to the Philippines, Esteban has been recognized by a number of organizations and outlets, taking all of them to heart.
“Of course, I’m very happy to receive a lot of support from Filipinos. I think they really see me beyond my representation,” the fencer told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.
Because of that, Esteban wants to keep herself relevant and support of Philippine sports through her advocacies of legislation and education.
This includes tapping the help of fellow Olympians Hidilyn Diaz and EJ Obiena to work on a proposed National Athlete Protection Act that will protect athletes through fair treatment, mental health support, injury prevention, and post-career transition.
Related: Maxine Esteban, other Olympians team up for National Athlete Protection Act
Another effort is the establishment of the Maxine Esteban Student Foundation, where hthr fencer currently sponsors eight student-athletes including from Ateneo de Manila University and Jubilee Christian Academy.
Going forward, Esteban wants to focus on sponsoring student-athletes in the sport of fencing and is eyeing to collaborate with Ateneo — where she was a scholar for two UAAP seasons, winning both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player plums in 2018.
“Because I was a scholar myself, I want to pay it forward also, especially to student-athletes in the sport of fencing,” Esteban reiterated to Philstar.com
Having rested for several months since August, Esteban is set to begin her training for Los Angeles 2028 which she hopes will be her second Olympics.
Esteban feels more confident given her experience in Paris and five months of resting, including rehabilitating her knee, “I think I feel more confident and also less pressure coming into LA 2028 if I qualify.”
The fencer ended by explaining there are around 18 Olympic qualifiers in season, and that one would have to do well in all of them to be considered a top athlete.
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