Maxine to Italian coach: We made it

Maxine Esteban expressed her gratitude to her mentor, Andrea Magro, for guiding her in her successful quest for a slot in the Paris Olympics.

In an emotional social media post late Tuesday, the 23-year-old Esteban said Magro never stopped believing in her, pushing her hard until she reached her Olympic dream despite the great odds stacked against her.

The 61-year-old Italian is a gem of a coach.

He guided Valentina Vezzali to six Olympic gold medals in team and individual foil events from 1996 to 2012 and to 16 world championships in the same events from 1995 to 2015.

Aside from coaching the Italian fencing team, Magro also trained Japanese, Kuwait and American athletes.

He started working with Esteban in 2020 but the pandemic forced him to return to Italy. They got reunited in July 2021 and made great strides all over the world that boosted Esteban’s world ranking to No. 62.

‘To my coach, Andrea Magro, we made it.’

Although Esteban dropped to No. 76 after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament during the World Championships in Cairo in 2022, Magro never left her until she regained her health and returned to international action. Now, Esteban made it to the Olympics to represent Ivory Coast after being released by the Philippine Fencing Association from the national team. “To my coach, Andrea Magro, we made it,” Esteban said a day after formally punching a slot in the Summer Games.

“This qualification is really a celebration not only for me, but also for you. You have been not just a coach to me but a second parent, too.” Esteban said Magro’s faith in her didn’t waver despite getting injured and eventually dropped from the Philippine national squad.

“Thank you for believing in me and telling me ‘I can do it’ even when others try to put me down,” she said. “With you behind me, I was always more confident knowing that I was in good hands.”

“I am grateful that our paths crossed, and I am truly blessed to be the recipient of your great mentorship. You’ve produced 16 Olympic medals in your career as a coach and you believed in me, a dreamer from a country not known for fencing.”

Esteban stressed that their mission is far from over.

“I am proud to be one of your students,” she said. “This is not the end, let’s work even harder!”