Olympic dream fuels Aya

Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games silver medalist Aya Cojuangco has a chance to qualify in compound archery’s debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and earning a ticket will be a dream come true for the 40-year-old mother of two.

Cojuangco was 19 when she began collecting medals in compound archery at the 1st Asian Grand Prix in Bangkok in 2005. She struck gold at the 2005 and 2007 SEA Games then competed at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Asian Games without a podium finish. At the 2025 SEA Games, Cojuangco almost snatched a bronze. Her silver feat in Nagoya was a pleasant surprise as the country’s oldest medalist.

Compound archery will be featured only in the mixed team event in LA. “It’s a tight 12-team competition with the first slot given to India for winning in Nagoya,” said Cojuangco. “Each team will be made up of one male and one female. WAP (World Archery Philippines) will choose which players to try to qualify.”

Cojuangco’s husband Kit, a former national archer, said the showdown with Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah for gold in Nagoya could’ve gone either way. “Aya was under the radar but we knew she was competitive,” the former Tarlac vice governor said. “Despite being No. 28 in qualifying, we knew she was capable. She proved it by beating No. 2 Iran, No. 3 Korea, No. 7 Vietnam and No. 10 China. Aya had her chances but couldn’t close under very strong wind conditions. I watched it on TV and when it was over, this was my text to Aya: ‘It’s all we ever asked for, so happy for you, I was praying so hard, the wind looked crazy strong, I was crying.’” The score was tied after four ends then No. 4 Ashrifah outshot Cojuangco by two points in the fifth.

PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio said the key was recruiting Korean coaches Ryu Su Jeng and Hong Sung Chil. Gregorio is a long-time friend of Cojuangco’s father Jaime Paz, a UP neighbor. UP’s archery range was where Cojuangco. a Diliman alumna, fell in love with the sport. Paz thanked Gregorio for PSC’s support. “Iba ang leadership ni chairman Pato kasi naka-unawa siya ng atleta at papaano mag-manage,” he said. “Higit sa lahat ay zero vested interest.”

WAP president Bing Reaport paid tribute to Ryu. “It’s different if you have a champion mindset na coach who knows how to push the team,” he said. “Before the competition, coach Ryu told the team she would resign and go back to Korea if we wouldn’t get a medal.” Ryu coached the Philippine team at the last SEA Games then came back six months ago. “She’s the head coach but more on recurve but we all report to her,” said Cojuangco whose son Alfonso, 17, is on the national junior trap shooting development team and La Salle Greenhills golf captain and another son Aleksander, 7, is also into golf.