National archers eye repeat in Grand Prix

Hopes are high the national women’s compound team that ruled the first leg of the Asian Archery Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand, last March will deliver the gold anew in the third and final leg starting next week at the Ateneo grounds.

Veteran Amaya Paz, who combined with Jennifer Chan and Abigail Tindugan in dominating the opposition in Bangkok, will not be around this time due to her pregnancy. The local team will still be formidable, however, with Chan and Tindugan back in action, in the company of Kristin Kristin Bismark and Quinnie Cabuguason, both of Gandiva Sports; Arlene Infante of Bacolod and Geraldine Cabral.

The event, which doubles as the Southeast Asian Championship, is set on Oct. 25-31 and has lured nearly 20 countries, among them Chinese Taipei, Bhutan, Qatar, Mongolia, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Iran and North Korea..

“Our archers have been training well under the guidance of Korean coach Won Tae and we are confident we will contend for honors not only in the Southeast Asian Championship but also in the Asian Grand Prix,” said National Archery Association of the Philippines president Leonora Fe Brawner.

The NAAP is organizing the event in partnership with Gandiva Sports, Department of Tourism, Quezon City Government, Philippine Olympic Committee, Smart Communications and Victoria Court.

Aside from the women’s compound team, also expected to contend for honors are the recurve teams led by Wayne Larsen of Dumaguete and Rachel Cabral of the National Capital Region.

Completing the men’s recurve team are Florante Matan, Marvin Cordero, Paul dela Cruz, Neil Divinagracia and Zander Lee Reyes, all from NCR. Joann Tabanag and Marie Cabral, both from NCR, complete the women’s recurve team.

Among the foreign delegations, expected to contend for top honors are Chinese-Taipei and India, which have fielded entries in all divisions, and Myanmar, one of the favorites in the men’s recurve division.