Archers set new marks in Asian GP

Filipino archers, led by compound bow division gold medalist Earl Benjamin Yap, established 11 national records in the recent second Asian Grand Prix tournament held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A 21-year-old Production Design graduate of La Salle College of St. Benilde, Yap set nine new marks and equaled one.

The two other records were registered by the women’s and men’s squads in the Olympic recurve team event.

The Filipinos bagged a total of 13 medals, including three golds each by Amaya Paz and Yap in the compound bow division.

Yap’s new records are 1379 points in the FITA Round, 331 (70-meter distance), 347 (70-m distance), 345 (50-m distance), 356 (30-m distance), 343 (12-arrow final round), 4024 (Team FITA Round), 343 (36-arrow final match) and 271 (Olympic Round team event 4x6).

Yap erased the records set by Raul Arambulo in Sept. 2002 and Feb. 2005 in these nine events. He also tied the 116 mark for 12-arrow final match held by Carlos Carag in May 2002.

The new standard for women’s recurve Olympic team event for 4x6 arrow match of 196 points was set by Jasmin Figueroa, Rachelle Anne Cabral and Katherine Annalyn Santos, surpassing the 176 recorded by Region III PAC Magalan’s Figueroa, Cabral and Grace Dolfo at Subic Bay Freeport on June 24 during the POC Festival/National Target Championships.

Mark Javier, Paul Marton dela Cruz, Christian Cubilla and Renato Bartolome accounted for the other recurve mark, combining for 197 points to better the 190 of SUDAC’s Javier, Joseph Solitario, Ian Wayne Larsen and Neil Divinagracia in the men’s Olympic team 4x6 arrow match.