She may now be donning the colors of a different country, but Maxine Esteban will still proudly carry the Philippines in her heart when she competes in the fencing competition of the Paris Olympics next month.

In a previous conversation with Daily Tribune, the 23-year-old Esteban asserted that her love for the Philippines, her roots, and support of the Filipinos serve as her fuel in her quest for glory in the Summer Games.

She said she may now be representing Ivory Coast in the international arena, but she still remains a Filipino by heart and wishes the national athletes success in the coming Olympics.

An eight-time national champion, Esteban was working hard to represent the Philippines in the women’s foil event of the Paris Games.

But after taking a leave of absence due to a knee injury that she sustained while competing in the World Championships in Cairo in 2022, the Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) refused to reinstate her, putting her Olympic dream on hold.

She reached out to the PFA leadership to seek an explanation, but for months, it didn’t give her a definite answer.

With that, she decided to pack her bags for Ivory Coast, a country in West Africa where she was often holding fencing cleaning and outreach projects.

Despite the sorry turn of events, Esteban is still wishing Filipino athletes the best of luck.

In Ivory Coast, Esteban found her real worth.

“I’m very grateful for my roots, I am also thankful that fellow Filipino people understand and continue to support me, and I hope that they will continue to support not only me but also the rest of the Filipino delegation going to the Olympics,” said Esteban, vowing to also cheer for Team Philippines in the Summer Games.

“As I’ve said before, the Filipino talent is really, really great. There’s really so much talent in the Philippines. I hope the Philippine government can continue to support Filipino athletes so that more people can qualify in the Olympics.”

In Ivory Coast, Esteban found her real worth.

In fact, the federation has been very supportive to her campaign as it gave her the chance to participate in all Olympic qualifiers that propelled her to clinch the lone African singles spot after accumulating enough ranking points until finishing the last qualifier, the 2024 Absolute Fencing Gear FIE Foil Grand Prix in Washington last March.

She dedicated her triumph both to the Philippines and Ivory Coast.

“This is for Cote d’Ivoire, the country that embraced me, believed in me and supported me all the way, and for the Philippines, the country my heart will always beat proud for,” she said.

Last week, Esteban was victorious anew as she pushed Tokyo Olympian Yara Elsharkawy to the limit before surrendering the gold medal, 8-9, in the 22nd African Fencing Championships in Casablanca, Morocco.

Egypt is considered as a powerhouse team in Africa and giving not one, but three, of its prized fencers on her way to the gold medal match a scare underscores her readiness for the Summer Games.

Still, Esteban stressed that she will represent her two “homes” — the Philippines and Ivory Coast — when the bright lights of the Olympics have been formally switched on.

“I’m very proud because coming into the Olympics, I will be representing both countries — the Philippines and Ivory Coast. And you know, you can never really take away the Filipino in me,” said Esteban, a statement that came quite perfect as the Philippines celebrates its 126th Independence Day celebration on Wednesday.

“I will forever be a Filipino at heart.”