Amaya marks return with Asian GP silver

MANILA, Philippines - Former SEA Games double gold medalist Amaya Paz came back strong from a two-year absence as she claimed a silver medal after a second overall finish in the second Asian Archery Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand last week.

Paz, who won the gold medals in the 2005 and 2007 SEA Games, nipped Ngeain Aung of Myanmar for the gold in the Double 70m Qualifying round, beating her rival in the X’s (dead center) hits, 16-9, after both archers finished tied with 681 points. Thailand’s Narissa Tinbua placed third.

Aung, however, outshot Paz, 113-108, in the Olympic round for the overall gold medal. Gagandeep Bawa of India finished third overall.  

Paz, who took a leave from the sport in Feb. 2008 due to motherhood, also matched Jennifer Chan’s RP record for an Olympic Round score of 119 for a possible 120 points during her semis duel with Bawa.

Her remarkable performance also put her on track of her bid to regain a top Asian ranking. Paz is also gearing up for the 2011 Archery World Championships in Torino, Italy.

In the men’s division, Palton Hansda of India beat countryman Chinna Raju Srither by triple shootout to win the gold. Min Swe Ye of Myanmar took the bronze. Filipinos Rosendo Sombrio and Enrique Cojuangco Jr. struggled and ended up eighth and 16th, respectively, in the overall standings.

The top-level tournament drew 160 archers from 22 countries.