Filipina archer Amaya Paz‑Cojuangco with Korean coach Ryu Su Jeng in the 2026 Asian Games. POC Media
The Philippine archery team already has a new target after veteran Amaya Paz‑Cojuangco delivered a historic silver medal in the 2026 Asian Games.
Cojuangco had placed second in the women's individual compound — the Philippines' best-ever result in the sport and its first podium appearance in the Asian Games since 2014, when Paul Dela Cruz won bronze.
Sports officials see Cojuangco's feat as proof that the program of South Korean coach Ryu Su Jeng is paying dividends.
READ: Amaya Cojuangco claims PH's first-ever archery silver in Asiad
"Bringing coach Ryu into the national archery program stands as one of our most decisive and transformative moves, and the Asian Games performance has emphatically affirmed that," said Patrick Gregorio, chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission.
Before taking over the Philippines' archery team, Ryu helped guide South Korea to five Olympic gold medals: two in Rio 2016 and three in Tokyo 2020.
She issued a challenge to the Filipinos ahead of the Asiad last month: "If I don’t get a medal in the Asian Games, I will just go back to Korea and leave you. I have never lost a medal in a tournament."
Cojuangco stepped up to the plate, stunning South Korea's Park Jungyoon, 142-141, in the semifinals to advance to the gold medal match. Though she eventually bowed to Indonesia's Nurisa Dian Ashrifah in the final, her silver is seen as a sign of better things to come for Philippine archery.
Already, Ryu and fellow Korean coach Hong Sung Chil have mapped out their track to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Cojuangco will be paired with Mateusz Vaughn Johnson, the 18‑year‑old phenom from Davao City who exploded in Singapore three months ago, sweeping three individual gold medals and the U18 Compound Men’s Championship at the Singapore Youth Archery Championships.
The Filipino archers are expected to compete in a demanding qualifying circuit that will carry them to various countries — starting in Shanghai, where the 2027 Hyundai Archery World Cup opens in mid‑April.
From there, the team moves to Antalya in Turkey in early May, then crosses the Pacific for the Tijuana leg in Mexico in June and in Madrid in July.
"Hopefully we can make it to LA. We will try to qualify either through the Olympic qualifiers or ranking points through these tournaments," said Cojuangco.
RELATED VIDEO: