THE future of Philippine archery looks rosy because it lies in young, steady, and promising hands.
This could be gleaned last Wednesday after the Bidaure sisters, Pia and Gabby, and Phoebe Amistoso, all in their early twenties, captured the gold medal in the women’s recurve event in the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games archery championships in Hanoi.
Displaying collective nerves of steel, the Pinay hawkeyes upset defending champion Vietnam, led by Tokyo Olympian Do Thi Anh Nguyet in a pulsating duel capped by shoot-off that resulted in a close 27-26 decision that ended a 19-year-old gold medal drought for country in the regional meet.
With only nine seconds to go on the 120-second shot clock, Gabby Bidaure, 20, delivered the decisive shot, hitting the bullseye, good for 10 points, in lifting the visitors to victory while silencing the hometown crowd at the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center.
The PH archers had taken the upper hand 51-45 in the first match, but the Vietnamese recovered to seize the lead with scores of 49-47 and 51-53, in the next two, before their rivals extended the series to a rubber match in clinching the fourth, 57-49.
Bidaure was also the hero of the national squad last Tuesday in a similar shoot-off in the semis against Myanmar, coolly hitting the bullseye in lifting her team to a 27-26 decision to set up the gold-medal showdown with the Vietnamese.
The golden achievement ended a 19-year-old drought for the Filipinos, who last won also in Hanoi in the first Vietnam SEA Games through the efforts of Joan Tabanag, Jennifer Chan and Rachelle Cabral, according to World Archery Philippines secretary general Rosendo Sombrio.
“The WAP archery family stands proud in the win, which took us almost 2 decades to win the gold again. We see that the trio of Pia and Monica Bidaure and Phoebe Amistoso can only improve in the coming competitions as they are at the right age to peak in their game,” said WAP president Atty. Clint Aranas from Manila.
“Hindi ko po na-feel yung pressure at that moment. Pati na rin yung crowd. Ang mindset ko lang po is to shoot ng maayos.Dapat ko lang i-shoot talaga ng maayos,” Gabby Bidaure said of her poise under pressure.
“At least we will bring home a medal, and a gold no less,” she added, remembering how the national recurve team failed to win any medal during the SEA Games hosted by the country three years ago.
Also 20 like Bidaure, Amisto was grateful that her teammate was able to come to the rescue after she scored eight points as the second archer in the shooting sequence
