CEBU CITY. – For love of flag and country, national para archery head coach John Hongitan is giving up his slot to deputy Jonathan Josol, who will mentor national para archer Agustina Bantiloc in the Paris Paralympic Games next month.
“I am willing to step aside for Jonathan to coach Agustina if that is what she is comfortable with. It is okay with me,” said Hongitan, who was coaching Baguio-based high school archers in the just-concluded Palarong Pambansa here, in a chance interview.
Hongitan, who has been handling the national para archery squad since 2011, was with the PH team that saw action in last year’s Hangzhou Asian Para Games where Bantiloc met the Minimum Qualifying standard of 652 in winding up 11th in the women’s individual compound event.
He was also the head coach when the 55-year-old pride of Tanudan, Kalinga won a bronze medal with Marcel Burgos in the mixed compound team event of the Asean Para Games two years ago in Surakarta, Indonesia.
It is the time a Filipino para archer has qualified for the Paralympic Games since the country started competing in the global meet for physically-challenged athletes in the 1988 edition in Seoul, South Korea.
Hongitan said that Bantiloc and Josol are now undergoing intensive training in Baguio City as part of her build-up for her debut in the Paralympic Games kicking off on Aug. 28 at the Place de la Concorde, the largest public square in the French capital.
Hongitan said that the goal is to exceed the 652 that Bantiloc scored in Hangzhou so she can be competitive in the discipline that unfolds with the qualifying round on Aug. 28 at the Esplanade des Invalides.
He cited World Archery Philippines secretary general Rosendo Sombrio, who is based in Cebu, for endorsing Bantiloc as a bipartite entry in the Paris Paralympic Games.
“We would like to thank sir Dondon (Sombrio’s nickname) for endorsing Agustina so we could have a para archer for the first time in Paris. This is a huge milestone for Philippine para archery,” the coach said.
Sombrio said that WAP owed it Bantiloc in securing the Paralympic slot.
“We at WAP are all-inclusive so we are proud that Agustina was able to secure the bipartite slot through our endorsement,” the WAP official said.
