Despite nursing a back injury, Filipino-Ivorian Maxine Esteban refused to quit as she secured a silver medal in the 23rd African Fencing Championships in Lagos, Nigeria last Thursday.

Esteban’s mother, Carol, beams with pride, saying that her daughter played her heart out to advance to the final of the prestigious event where the best fencers of Africa competed.

The 24-year-old former Ateneo de Manila University star bowed to Sara Amr of Egypt in a tightly-fought gold medal match of the women’s individual foil event, 8-15. Before that, she beat another Egyptian in Olympian Malak Hamza in the semifinals, 15-8.

But for the elder Esteban, it was still a mission accomplished as her injured daughter displayed steely resolve in putting up a strong fight before settling for the silver medal.

“She has been competing with back pain for months now. During the recent competition, she isn’t struggling as much,” Carol said in a telephone conversation with DAILY TRIBUNE.

But her quest for a spot in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 is far from over.

Esteban, who will compete in the FIE World Championships in Tbilisi, will see action in the USA Fencing National Championships & July Challenge (Summer Nationals) in Milwaukee on Saturday.

Carol said the tournament is going to be a good litmus test for her daughter since there will be no ranking points involved.

“She is now on her way to the US for yet another competition,” Carol said, adding that her daughter had already taken the backbreaking 12-hour flight from Lagos to Milwaukee just to make it in time for the start of the competition.

“In fact, Maxine had to rebook her flight after making it to the final of the Lagos tournament,” she said.

“Now, she won’t have much time to rest since she will be arriving in the US on the evening of the 27th and the competition starts early the following day.”