Amaya: Silver winner with a promise

NAGOYA — The wind suddenly blew. Her best arrows would not go in.

For Amaya Paz Cojuangco, that is what will sting the most about a gold medal match that was almost hers.

“I tried my best, I did. But my best shots would not go in. The wind blew. I couldn’t bring back how I shoot in the quarterfinals,” Cojuangco said after falling, 139-137, to Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah in the women’s individual compound final at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Thursday.

“It’s bittersweet. I’m proud but also sad to have the silver medal but not the gold, because it’s almost there.”

At 40, with a bad shoulder, coming off a No. 28 qualification, Cojuangco became the first Filipino archer ever to shoot for an Asian Games gold. It is still the best finish the country has ever had in Asiad archery, better than Paul Marton Dela Cruz’s bronze in Incheon 2014.

She had to forget the qualification.

“I knew I qualified bad. I had to forget it because I knew the medal was still there. Just refocused. I knew I made the score at home so I knew I can do it. God leading the way,” she said.

The path she carved was not easy.

After scraping through against China and Vietnam, she found her old self in the quarterfinals – three perfect 30s to demolish second-seed Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei of Iran, 146-135.

Then came the impossible. Park Jungyoon of South Korea. A country that has won 32 of 76 Olympic golds and 46 of 73 Asian Games golds in archery. Cojuangco beat her by the slimmest of margins, 142-141.

Now she looks ahead with the same mix of pride and ache.

“I really hope it inspires and paves the way for a gold medal. I feel like maybe I still can in four years. I’m not sure. I’m in the twilight of my career but I’m still pushing,” she said.

“But I really hope Paul gave us bronze and I gave the silver and I hope the young ones will bring home the gold for us soon.”

She’ll be 45 or 46 when the next Asian Games comes.

“If I’m still there, I will be fighting for the gold medal,” she vowed.