Aya clinches silver in Asia Cup archery

MANILA, Philippines -  Two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Aya Paz Cojuangco turned back five straight opponents in knockout matches then settled for the silver medal in losing to Iran’s Parisa Baratchi, 146-141, in the women’s compound final at the Asia Cup in the Huamark Archery Venue in Bangkok, Thailand, last weekend.

Cojuangco, 31, was the only podium finisher among eight women and eight men who represented the Philippines in the 10-event competition last March 19-26. The silver lining meant a qualifying ticket for Cojuangco to the World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, on July 23-30.

Nicole Tagle, 15, was another bright spot for the Philippine team. She bundled out four opponents in knockout matches, lost to Vietnam’s Loc Thi Dao, 7-3, in the semifinals then bowed to Bangladesh’s Shandi Ray, 6-4, in the playoff for the bronze medal in women’s recurve.

Among the men, Paul de la Cruz was the top performer even as he was beaten by Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Dang, 143-142, in the fourth round of men’s compound. Of the 16 Philippine entries, 12 lost in their first knockout matches. Cojuangco, Tagle, De la Cruz and Andrea Robles were the only survivors to make it to the second round.

In three of the six team events, the Philippines advanced to the second round. Kareel Hongitan, Mary Queen Ybanez and Tagle beat Bangladesh, 5-4, before losing to Chinese-Taipei, 6-2 in women’s recurve. Cojuangco, Robles and Jennifer Chan combined to thwart Singapore, 224-215, then bowed to Chinese-Taipei, 228-217 in the quarterfinals of women’s compound. Cojuangco and De la Cruz teamed up to nip Singapore, 151-150 then were beaten by Iran, 151-149, in the quarterfinals of mixed compound.

Cojuangco finished No. 13 with 679 points in women’s compound qualifying. In match play, she took out China’s Chen Na, 144-132, Indonesia’s Dellie Threesyadinda, 141-139, Myanmar’s Aung Ngeain, 14-135, Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Ting Hsuan, 144-135 and Chinese-Taipei’s Chen Yi Hsuan, 141-139 before facing Baratchi for the gold. In the final, Cojuangco fell behind, 30-26, in the first end, levelled at 28-28 in the second, trailed 30-29 in the third, hit three bull’s eyes to take the fourth, 30-29 and lost, 29-28, in the fifth. Both finalists booked tickets to the World Games. There were 57 entries from 17 countries in the event.

Philippine Archers National Network and Alliance (PANNA) secretary-general Rosendo Sombrio headed the delegation in Bangkok. Cojuangco, Robles, Chan and Rachel de la Cruz made up the women’s compound archers. In men’s recurve were Flor Matan, Gabriel Moreno, Allen Raquipo and Syd Franginal. The women’s recurve archers were Hongitan, Ybanez, Pia Bidaure and Tagle. The men’s compound entries were De la Cruz, Joseph Bague, Niron Concepcion and Luis Soriano. Moreno, Matan and Raquipo competed in the men’s recurve team event while Soriano, De la Cruz and Concepcion were in the men’s compound team. Matan and Tagle were in the mixed recurve team.

Cojuangco said she never expected to go far in Bangkok. “I was injured for the whole month of January with a severe back strain,” she said. “I couldn’t straighten my back and was in severe pain. I was in bed for two weeks. It was so bad that I was able to start training mid-February and I had to do so very slowly. I began with shooting just three arrows in one day. I think I finished that week shooting less than 70 arrows in total.”

Despite the layoff and late training, Cojuangco said she was determined to battle. “I treated it as a kick-off tournament for the year and in preparation for the SEA Games and World Cup,” she said. “Of course, I always leave for a tournament with the gold medal as my goal. Deep inside me, I knew it would be hard but I wasn’t going to give up without a fight. If I hadn’t been injured, I think I would’ve had a better chance for that gold medal. Many thanks to Dr. George Canlas, Aspi of Kineticore and Intercare Greenhills who all helped me get back on my feet.”

Cojuangco singled out Tagle for her glowing performance. “Nicole is one of our young bets, vying for slots in the Youth Olympics,” she said. “She has lots of potential and very young. We are very proud of her accomplishment.”