Spotting a silver finish behind the seven-peat champions, UE Red Warriors, the DLSU Green Fencers moved up the podium with the assistance of their prized rookie, Darylle Lumahan, as he landed second in the men’s individual épée behind the men’s division MVP Samuel Tranquilan of UE, and garnered gold in the team category.
After bagging the Rookie of the Year plum, the national team recruit from Quezon City of coach Almario Vizcayno proved to be a crucial member for the Green Fencers. As The LaSallian’s Male Rookie of the Year awardee, Lumahan upholds the trust of his coach in him and is further motivated to surpass the bar he has set for himself.
“Sabi nga nila na isang kabanata pa lang ito sa limang kabanata na dadaan sa college years ko,” Lumahan expresses.
(As they say, this is just the first of the five chapters I will go through in my college years.)
Driven by his passion, he had found his way to taking on a larger arena. He had his international exposure in the Southeast Asia Pacific and Asean Fencing Championships in 2015 and became an official national fencing team member in 2017. Just last year, he was among the delegates of the Philippines to the Asian Fencing Championship in Bangkok, Thailand and in the U23 Fencing Championship held in the country
last October.
At the young age of 19, Lumahan has impressed the community with his achievements and will surely seize more merits in the future as he continues to create his mark on the piste. However, these feats might not have been achieved if his talent was not witnessed and harnessed by his former coach in FEU-Fern Diliman who encouraged him to join the fencing club in 2013. This sparked his interest in the sport that illuminated his path to the UAAP juniors fencing division.
Before heading to his “dream school”, De La Salle University, he finished his UAAP Juniors year with an individual épée gold. However, it took him a hard time to decide which university he would enroll in as he was also considering taking up his pre-medical degree in University of Santo Tomas. But his older brother, Green Fencer David Lumahan, influenced Darylle to commit to the Green-and-White.
“Ever since I was starting to play fencing, coach [Almario Vizcayno] of DLSU already believed in me,” which he says also played a big factor for him to choose the University. “To be honest, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made na I was part of the DLSU Green Fencers kasi they are so approachable and masaya kasama,” he sincerely says.
Although seniors are always expected to carry the responsibility of being team captain, he turned the tide and will lead the pack on only his second year. “I’m the new team captain of the Green Fencers!” the young gun exclaims with excitement and enthusiasm.
From just trying fencing to joining an actual fencing club to becoming a national team member, a rookie of the year awardee, and a captain in his second year, Darylle Lumahan has pushed the boundaries and exceeded everyone’s expectations. The medals and trophies he received and will receive are proof of his perseverance in mastering his craft.
In the coming years, he hopes to compete more on the international pistes of the SEA Games, Asian Games, and Olympics; and to stand on the podium receiving the gold medal around his neck while waving the blue, red, white and yellow colors of the Philippine flag.
“‘Yun ang pinaka dream ko.”
(That’s my ultimate dream.)
