ASIAN GAMES: Korean coach helps PH win historic archery silver

MANILA – The historic silver medal won by archer Amaya Paz-Cojuangco in the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games women's individual compound event is credited to the system implemented by South Korean coaches in the national team.

“If I don’t get a medal in the Asian Games, I will just go back to Korea and leave you. I have never lost a medal in a tournament,” Korean Ryu Su Jeng told the Filipino archers last month.

For a squad still adjusting to the Korean system’s intensity, it was a jolt, but for Cojuangco, it was fuel. Her silver medal is the country's first archery podium finish in the Asian Games since 2014, when Paul Dela Cruz won bronze.

“Bringing coach Ryu into the national archery program stands as one of our most decisive and transformative moves, and the Asian Games performance has emphatically affirmed that,” Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman John Patrick Gregorio said, as quoted in a news release Friday.

Ryu helped guide South Korea to five Olympic gold medals, two in Rio 2016 and three in Tokyo 2020. But when Gregorio brought Ryu and fellow Korean coach Hong Sung Chil to Manila, the question lingered: Could their championship mindset translate to Filipino archers?

After the national archers' Asiad stint, Gregorio believes the answer is emphatic. “If you want the best results, you should hire and bring the best coaches on the planet. This is exactly the mindset we had when we hired coaches Ryu and Hong,” he said.

Their impact has been immediate – discipline and a demand for excellence that have elevated the entire national pool.

“We’re thankful to the PSC and chairman Pato for bringing coaches Ryu and Hong. It is different if you have a coach who has a champion mindset, someone who knows how to push the team,” World Archery Philippines president Bing Reaport said.

The Philippines seeks to qualify a mixed compound team to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and Ryu has already mapped out the plan, pairing Cojuangco with Mateusz Vaughn Johnson.

The 18-year-old Johnson from Davao City won three individual gold medals and the U18 men's compound title at the Singapore Youth Archery Championships three months ago.

Next year, Cojuangco and Johnson will join the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Shanghai, China (April). From there, the team moves to Antalya, Turkey (May), Tijuana, Mexico (June), and Madrid, Spain (July).

“Hopefully we can make it to LA. We will try to qualify either through the Olympic qualifiers or ranking points through these tournaments,” Cojuangco said. (PNA)