PHNOM PENH—Noelito Garcia Jr. claimed a silver medal in fencing and proved that his shift from arnis was worth it.
Garcia, 26, who shifted fencing in 2015, finished second in individual play of men’s epee at Hall D of the OCIC Wedding Center in Chroy Changvar District.
“I made the right decision, this silver proves so,” said Garcia, who captured the same medal last year in Vietnam to improve on the bronze he got in 2019 back home.
Garcia’s chase for a gold medal continued late Sunday with the epee team, which is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee.
He had to shift to fencing because arnis wasn’t part of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines program.
Garcia, who began practising the Filipino martial arts in Grade 5, had his biggest accomplishment as an “arnisador” when he bagged the gold in the 2013 Dumaguete Palarong Pambansa featherweight division.
But he got himself an athletic scholarship as a fencer at the University of Santo Tomas and finished with a degree in Physical Education Sports, Wellness and Management.
He’s been with the national team for nearly a decade now.
“I hope I can make the team to the Asian Games,” he said.
The Asian Games are set in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8.