MANILA — Juliana Gomez is keeping her expectations measured for her Asian Games debut but plans to give her best as she represents the Philippines in fencing at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from Sept. 22 to 27.
Gomez will compete in the women’s individual epee and team events, where she expects to face some of Asia’s top fencers.
“As much as we want the gold medal, and as much as we want the podium finish for the team, there’s no denying that the Asian zone in fencing, especially if arguably the toughest,” Gomez told reporters.
“I’ll work hard to make the class, the pools, which is already a national team, and its own, and I think the competition will start as top 32 to top 16,” she added.
Gomez said a top-eight or top-four finish would already satisfy her, although she wants to help the Philippines add to its medal haul.
“A top 8 or a top 4 finish would already be fantastic. But, of course, as a member of the national team, you always want to contribute to the medal count. And so that’s what we’re always working toward,” she said.
The 26-year-old fencer said the Asian Games represent a milestone after she spent six years working toward a place on the national team.
“When I started fencing about six years ago, it was just a dream for me to make it to the national team,” Gomez said.
She credited her coaches, teammates and parents for helping her reach the national team and earn the top spot among Philippine fencers in her category.
Gomez, the daughter of actor and former politician Richard Gomez, said she also manages the pressure surrounding her debut.
“It begins with telling myself that I deserve to be here because I worked hard for my spot,” she said.
Gomez acknowledged experiencing self-doubt but said she reminds herself of the work that brought her to the Asian Games.
“It took me a long time to get here. It took me six years to make it to the National Team,” she said.
Gomez also brings SEA Games experience into her Asian Games debut after winning bronze in the team epee event at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
“I think that the improvement happens every day. We’re always trying to outdo what Team Philippines has done in the past. We’re always trying to perform well for the country and we’re always trying to show the world what the Philippines can do,” Gomez said.
