MANILA -- The Philippine archery team will feature a solid core of promising archers in the coming 30th Southeast Asian Games.
Armed with a mix of young talents and veteran smarts, national coach Clint Sayo said the chief objective of the squad is to end the four-year gold medal drought both in the recurve and compound events.
Asian Games bronze medalist Paul Marton dela Cruz, Youth Olympic Games gold medal winner Gabriel Moreno, and Olympian Jennifer Chan will be on target for that elusive gold medal in the biennial sports fest that the Philippines will host for the fourth time from November 30 to December 11 this year.
Dela Cruz will spearhead the men’s compound team together with Johan Olano, Roberto Badiola, and Arnold Rojas while Moreno banners the four-man recurve squad along with Florante Matan, Jayson Feliciano, and Carson Hastie.
The women's recurve will be led by Kareel Hongitan, Pia Bidaure, Phoebe Amostoso, and Gabrielle Monica Bidaure, while Chan, Andrea Robles, Rachelle Ann dela Cruz, and Abbigail Tinugduan comprise the women’s compound squad.
According to Sayo, these archers are definitely capable of winning medals for the country.
“As much as possible, we want to achieve the best results,'' he said.
“But for now, I can only assure you that we are capable of getting a medal. Whether it’s a gold, silver, or bronze, hindi ko muna sasabihin (I won’t say it for now),” added Sayo, a gold medalist in the 1997 SEA Games held in Indonesia.
It was during the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar when the Filipino archers last captured a gold medal, courtesy of the men’s compound team of Earl Benjamin Yap, Ian Patrick Chipeco, and Delfin Anthony Adriano.
In the 2017 Malaysian edition, these archers brought home a silver and four bronze medals.
Sayo said they have to watch out for Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore, but firmly believes that Filipino archers would be able to hit the target and rise to the occasion on local ground. (PR)
