Archers compete in only 4 events

MANILA, Philippines - Without two-time defending women’s compound gold medalist Amaya Paz in the lineup, the Philippine archery team is competing in only four of eight events at the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos but hopes remain high that Earl Benjamin Yap, Rosendo Sombrio, Fermin Barranachea, Mark Javier, Jennifer Chan and Abigail Tindugan will deliver the goods for the country.

Paz begged off from the qualifying competitions after she fell sick saving her 13-month-old baby Alfonso from flood waters that rose to six feet in their home with another national archer Kit Cojuangco in New Manila at the height of typhoon Ondoy last September.

Paz is still being treated with antibiotics. She had stored about 200 ounces of breast milk in cups for her baby, anticipating her absence for the SEA Games, but it went to waste. Cojuangco is also recovering from illness, stress and the trauma of losing nearly every material possession during the ordeal.

Neither Cojuangco nor Paz could report for the qualifying competitions that set lofty standards to make it to Laos. In the qualifiers, the men had to score at least 332 of a possible 360 points while the women, 335.

At the Thailand SEA Games two years ago, the Philippines bagged two golds in archery – from Paz in the women’s individual compound and the women’s team with Paz, Chan and Tindugan in the compound. Yap took the silver in the men’s individual compound and the men’s team claimed a bronze in recurve.

Paz said she’s confident either Chan or Tindugan will capture the gold in women’s compound in her place.

“If you ask me, I know they will do their best to win the gold medal for me,” said Paz. “They’re very capable. They can do it. Of course, I feel bad I won’t compete for our country – that’s an understatement. But Kit and I are super devastated from what happened to us. We’re slowly recovering. We couldn’t be ready for the qualifiers. Imagine, when we evacuated, we took our baby out in an inflatable pool and escaped by swimming into the second floor window of our neighbor’s house. We lost everything – our bows, arrows, precision tools, everything. We just weren’t mentally and physically prepared to compete in the qualifiers.”

Because only two female archers qualified, the Philippines will not compete in the women’s team compound event which Paz, Chan and Tindugan ruled the last two SEA Games. Paz also won golds in the individual compound in 2005 and 2007, making her a shoo-in for a grand slam this year. The Philippines also has no entries for the women’s individual recurve, the women’s team recurve and the men’s team recurve.

Yap, 25, is entered in the men’s individual compound with Sombrio and Barranachea. Javier will compete in the men’s individual recurve. Yap, Sombrio and Barranachea will join forces in the men’s team compound.

The individual events are scheduled on Tuesday and the team competitions on Wednesday.

“Earl will be up there shooting for gold,” said Cojuangco. “Our chances of winning are better in the individual events because luck is sometimes a factor in team competitions. The team event is a different animal because it involves speed and rotation among the shooters. Earl and Rosendo just broke Philippine records before leaving for Laos so they’re ready. Fermin and Mark are also very competitive. It was difficult to qualify for the team so those who made it are definitely in contention for gold.”

Cojuangco said Yap’s main obstacle is Indonesian Igusti Nyoman Puruhito who won the gold in the men’s individual compound in Thailand two years ago. Puruhito is also the Asian champion. Javier’s chief rival in the individual recurve is Malaysia’s Cheng Chu Sian.