Filipino-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban trains with Italian master ahead of Olympics

Filipino-Ivorian fencer Maxine Esteban is preparing intensively under Italian fencing master Andrea Magro ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Esteban, 23, views Magro as a mentor and father figure who has significantly boosted her confidence with his guidance, and she will be supported by her family, coach, sponsors, and partner at the Games.

Magro's experience includes coaching national teams in Italy, Japan, and Kuwait, and he has guided compatriot Valentina Vezzali to six Olympic gold medals.

Esteban recently won a silver medal at the African Fencing Championships and is currently training with the Japanese national team in Paris as part of her final preparations for the Olympics.

She met her partner, an Indonesian fencer who is also Filipino, during a competition in Indonesia and has been dating him since the pandemic. He will be cheering for Esteban at the Summer Games this weekend.