Fencer Samantha Catantan will be undergoing surgery to repair her torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that she sustained during her maiden stint in the Paris Olympics.

The 22-year-old Penn State star said she will be taking some time off as she needs 10 to 12 months to fully recover.

Catantan was among the national athletes who received their cash incentives from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday night following a historic performance in the Summer Games.

She took home a P1 million bonus from the Chief Executive for making a strong run in the women’s individual foil event.

But her return to action will take some time.

“Actually, right now, I’m taking my time to have fun because on Friday, I will have my surgery. It’s going to be a challenge again for the next few months for me,” Catantan said.

“But of course, I really want to be in the Olympics again and I’m going to take my time to recover.”

Catantan said it was the same knee that was injured during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia but had to cut short her recovery time to eight months to make it to the Asia-Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates last April.

Although she was able to get into the Summer Games, Catantan said she wants to make sure she will have a full recovery period this time to make her fit and ready for future international events.

Catantan added that she will skip competitions like the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games from 21 to 30 November in Thailand as she will be focused on her recovery and her studies for her Master’s degree in Accounting in Penn State.

She, however, vows to do everything she can to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I’m about to start my master’s degree and I’ll try to focus on that. Of course, while recovering, I’m finally going to have time to focus on preparing for LA,” Catantan said.

“Hopefully, I still have one more eligibility in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), in the US. So, maybe, one more year.”