Finding a home in Ivory Coast, former top PH fencer begins Olympic quest on strong note

Maxine Esteban finished with a bronze medal recently to get her Olympic qualifying bid off to a strong start and raise her world ranking to a career-high 46.

Her achievements, however, will count for Ivory Coast.

The former top Filipino fencer in the world rankings, who recently switched nationalities because of “a series of unfortunate events—very little of which I had any control over”, boosted her hopes of booking a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics with her third-place finish in the African Championships that hiked her qualifying points and bumped her up the world rankings.

“I take so much pride in both milestones because these results have helped me regain most of my confidence after nearly a year of anxiety and stress that began when I injured my ACL also here in Cairo while representing the Philippines in the World Championships last year,” Esteban said in a statement sent to media from Ivory Coast.

Apart from her solid start in the Olympic qualifying season, Esteban also got a welcome lift from Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to waive the three-year residency required of naturalized players before they can represent their new country in the Olympics.

“For now, I would like to express my utmost and sincere gratitude to [Tolentino] for holding the door open for this big dreamer to carve her own path toward a long-cherished goal,” Esteban said in her statement.

“The honorable POC president’s request to the [IOC] to waive the three-year residency so I can compete under the flag of my second home, Côte d’Ivoire, will go a long way in ensuring I get a decent and fair shot at competing in Paris in the 2024 Olympics,” she added.

“That is, after all, the only thing I had ever wanted: A fair chance.”

While she did not go into detail, Esteban’s statement hinted that there was more to her transfer to Ivory Coast than meets the eye.

“I will tell my story someday, that much I can guarantee,” she said. “There is so much to learn from my experience, every heartache and frustration I had to endure, so that the things I went through never happen to any Filipino athlete again—especially those who dream of flying the Philippine flag on sports’ grandest stage.”

The eight-time national champion, the only Filipino to medal in the junior World Cup and the Satellite Senior World Cup twice, said on her decision to switch nationalities: “Sometimes, we must give ourselves enough respect to walk away from something that doesn’t value our worth. I want everyone to know that I did everything humanely possible to fulfill this long-time dream with the Filipino flag sewn on my uniform. But a series of unfortunate events—very little of which I had any control over—forced me to chase my dream in a distant, yet familiar land.”

Esteban said the journey to Paris will not be easy, but she is willing to give everything she can to achieve her goal.

“The road ahead is still long and filled with uncertainties and challenges, but at least now, there is a road,” she said. “If through my efforts, God rewards me with success, know that whatever triumphs I gain is a triumph of the Philippines as it is of the Ivory Coast.”

“Because no matter what stage I will compete in, be it in a small tournament or—God willing—in the Olympics, the flag I represent only tells half the story. In my heart, I will always carry two inspirations: The land of my birth and the country I now call home.”

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