‘Korean Revolution’ fuels Filipino archers

NAGOYA, Japan — The Philippine archery team expected a routine pre‑Asian Games briefing when coach Ryu Su Jeng gathered them last month, showed photos of the Ozaki Chuo Sogo Park venue, and walked them through every detail.

Then she delivered a line that froze the room.

“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,” Ryu said.

For a squad still adjusting to the Korean system’s intensity, it was a jolt, but for Amaya Paz-Cojuangco, it became fuel.

Cojuangco responded with a brilliant silver medal in the women’s individual compound, the Philippines’ first archery podium finish in the Asian Games since 2014, when Paul dela Cruz won bronze.

It was the breakthrough the program had been chasing for a decade, and the clearest sign yet that the Korean coaching revolution brought in by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is working.

“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 PSC chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio.

Armed with the right pedigree, Ryu helped guide South Korea to five Olympic gold medals, two in Rio 2016 and three in Tokyo 2020. Missing the podium is simply not part of her coaching DNA.

But when Gregorio brought Ryu and fellow Korean coach Hong Sung Chil to Manila, the question lingered: Could their championship mindset translate to Filipino archers?

After the Asiad stint of the national archers, Gregorio believes the answer is emphatic.

“If you want the best results, you should hire and bring the best coaches on the planet. This is exactly the mindset we had when we hired coaches Ryu and Hong,” Gregorio said.

Their impact has been immediate — discipline and a demand for excellence that has elevated the entire national pool.

“We’re thankful to the PSC and Chairman Pato for bringing coaches Ryu and Hong. It is different if you have a coach who has a champion mindset, someone who knows how to push the team,” said World Archery Philippines president Bing Reaport.

The next mission is now clear: Qualify a Filipino mixed compound team to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Ryu has already mapped out the plan.

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 path to Los Angeles will take the Filipino archers through a demanding, globe‑spanning qualifying circuit.

Their campaign begins 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,” Cojuangco said.