Extra finger could be Javier’s lucky charm

Filipino archer Mark Javier was born with an extra thumb, an 11th digit, in his right hand and if the added finger is his lucky charm, he could be in line for a strong finish in the round-of-32 at the Olympic Green Archery Field in Beijing tomorrow.

Javier, 27, got off to a creditable start in the ranking round of 64 last Sunday. He garnered 321 points in the first half of 36 arrows and 333 in the last half of another 36 arrows for a 654 total – surpassing the Philippine recurve record of 652 – in the double-70 preliminaries where the highest possible score is 720. 

Javier’s total put him in 36th place against No. 29 Kuo Cheng Wei of Chinese-Taipei in the 12-arrow knockout round-of-32 tomorrow. The highest possible score is 120 points. If Javier survives Kuo, he advances to another 12-arrow knockout face-off in the round-of-16. If he wins, Javier moves on to the round-of-8, round-of-4 and finally, the finals.

It will take five do-or-die wins for Javier to earn the gold medal in the men’s individual event.

At the moment, Javier’s focus is to beat Kuo.

“We’re very proud of Mark’s performance so far,” said national archer Kit Cojuangco who competes in the non-Olympic compound bow category. “Mark is ranked 79th in the world but qualified, on his own merits, for the Olympics which is exclusively for the top 64. That’s already an accomplishment. Then, he outdid himself by breaking the Philippine record in the ranking round. He’s in a good position to be in the middle of the pack where you’re matched up against archers close to your level in the first knockout pairing.”

Cojuangco said Kuo is no stranger to Javier and the familiarity is an added advantage for the 5-9 Dumaguete archer who placed sixth among 122 contenders at the World Cup in Shanghai this year.

“They’ve competed in the Asian Grand Prix circuit so they know each other well,” said Cojuangco. “Our drawback is lack of exposure to world-class competition as we advance. It’s not Mark’s fault but he had only a year of direct preparation for the Olympics when others train three to four years. We need a long-term development program for archery so the focus is on training over a longer period.”

Javier stamped his class as a legitimate Olympic qualifier by topping the first Asian Championships in Xian, China, last October.

In the Olympics, archers shoot from a standard distance of 70 meters. Starting the round-of-32, they are given 12 arrows each. A target is marked with 10 concentric rings with the center or bull’s eye counting for 10 points and the outer ring for one. After the ranking round, archers compete in head-to-head matches. Winners in the round-of-4 compete for the gold while the losers shoot for the bronze.

Only recurve bows are used. They are coated in fiberglass and arrows are made of aluminum and carbon graphite, with the capacity to travel at more than 240 kilometers an hour.

“Mark is the best Filipino recurve shooter today,” said Cojuangco. “He’s got a big fighting heart. He’s relatively tall with a good wingspan that improves his draw length. He’s in shape. He has invested a lot of time in training. We’re all hoping he continues to impress in Beijing.”

Two-time Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist Amaya Paz, a compound archer, said Javier has what it takes to win in the Olympics.

“He’s very calm, composed,” she said. “When you meet him for the first time, your impression is he’s a quiet guy. But yung kulo niya ay nasa loob. He’s extremely competitive as an archer. Right now, he’s in a good spot. Anything less would’ve been a disappointment. Let’s hope Lady Luck will be on his side tomorrow and he’s in the groove.”

Cojuangco said the Olympic format of 12-arrow knockout matches allows for upsets.

“The lesser ranked shooters get a chance to win because only 12 arrows are involved unlike in other formats where you shoot 144 against the world’s best,” continued Cojuangco. “For Mark, it’s very doable to advance all the way to the last because of the 12-arrow format. The   odds aren’t as daunting in a one-on-one match with 12 arrows.”

Cojuangco said it’s not surprising that South Korea has dominated Olympic archery in the last 20 years. South Korea has won the team gold medals in archery for both men and women in the last two Olympics. At the 2000 Sydney Games, Korean female archers swept the gold, silver and bronze medals in the individual event.

“Korea has made an industry out of archery,” said Cojuangco. “When I competed in Ulsan, I saw people lining up for an hour to shoot arrows at a government public park. Archery is now part of Korean culture where there is stress on discipline, self-confidence and being in tune with one’s inner body. They start training archers at a young age. Joining a Korean competition is like joining a world competition. Archery is a source of national pride and livelihood.”

South Korea is particularly dominant in women’s archery where the country has won every gold medal since the 1984 Olympics. It’s no wonder that the US archery team is in Beijing with Korean coach Ki Sik Lee. The Philippines also has a Korean coach Choi Won Tae.