Cebu’s ‘golden archer’ shoots for higher goal

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuano archer Vincent Villa, the 'Golden Boy' of Central Visayas in the recently-concluded 57th Palarong Pambansa, trains his sights on a higher goal as he vies for a slot to the national training pool in Dumaguete City tomorrow.

Villa, the most bemedalled athlete of  Region 7 with four golds and two silvers during the week-long sports conclave held two weeks ago in Laguna, hopes to sustain his momentum although he don't want to put much pressure on himself and just enjoy each day on the range.

The 16-year-old Villa decided to join the national evaluation in Dumaguete as he is unlikely to compete in this year's Philippine National Games.

The incoming senior at Maria Montessori International School had been in archery for over two years now, but was considered as nobody until his surprising performance in the Palaro. He even fondly recalled his poor showing in two national events, the Batang Pinoy in 2012 and an indoor tournament in Manila last year.

"Before winning the gold, I was nobody. I was just one of the participants. There were a lot of better archers than me. When I won my first gold in Palaro, I was just as surprised as the rest," said Villa.

Villa said he took up archery because of the prodding of his dad, who wanted to make his free time more productive.

"Gipapangita ko sa akong dad og sport kay wala man ko pirme gibuhat sa balay," said Villa.

With the help of some friends associated with the Cebu Archers Club, Villa thought of trying the sport. That started his love affair with archery.

Armed with an equipment that is worth around P90,000, Villa was motivated to aim high and excel in his field to make  his parents' 'investment’ worthwhile.

Hiring former national coach Ruel Merto as his mentor also contributed to the success Villa currently enjoyed. Merto has truly done a fantastic job in transforming him into a top-caliber archer.

During the Palaro, Villa topped the "toughest" 30-meter event, the first gold at stake in the multi-sport gathering considered as the Olympics of the country's elementary and high school athletes.

With his four-gold, two-silver haul, Villa had become one of the much-talked-about athletes during and after the Palaro.

Now that he's up to another challenge, the teenage archery sensation aims to make an impression in the national evaluation and hopefully become the second Cebuano member of the elite Philippine team after the ageless Dondon Sombrio. He wanted to be part of the Phl squad buoyed by his desire to bring honor and glory to the country in major international competitions someday. (FREEMAN)