Amaya Cojuangco shoots way to PH’s breakthrough archery silver in Asian Games

ON TARGET. The Philippines' Amaya Amparo Cojuangco in action in the women's individual semifinal match against South Korea's Jungyoon Park in the 2026 Asian Games.

Anushree Fadnavis/REUTERS

National team veteran Amaya Amparo Cojuangco ends the Philippines' 12-year drought for an archery medal in the Asian Games

AT A GLANCE

• Amaya Amparo Cojuangco won a silver medal in women's individual compound archery at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, marking the Philippines' highest finish in the sport at the event.
• Cojuangco narrowly lost the gold medal match to Indonesia's Nurisa Dian Ashrifah with a score of 139-137, after a tied score of 110 heading into the final.
• She made history as the first Filipino archer to reach the Asian Games final, defeating South Korea's Park Jung-yoon in a close semifinal match.

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MANILA, Philippines – Amaya Amparo Cojuangco struck a rare archery medal for the Philippines in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan as she claimed the silver in the women’s individual compound on Thursday, October 1.

A longtime national athlete, the 40-year-old fell just shy of the gold after a neck-and-neck 139-137 loss to Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah in the final at the Okazaki Central Park.

The finale went down to the wire, with Cojuangco and Ashrifah tied at 110-all heading into the fifth and final round, where the Indonesian edged the Filipina with back-to-back 10s on her final two arrows to close with a near-perfect 29.

Cojuangco managed just a trio of 9s for 27 as she settled for silver. 

Still, the silver is the Philippines’ highest finish in Asian Games archery and the only other medal the country won in the sport in the continental showpiece after Paul dela Cruz bagged the bronze in the men’s individual compound in the 2014 edition.

“I wanted the gold. I super wanted the gold. I’m sad that I lost. But also grateful that I have the silver medal. I felt good, the shots were good, but they just did not land,” Amparo told POC Media in a mix of Filipino and English. “I can only do my best.” 

Cojuangco became the first Filipino archer to advance to an Asian Games final by stunning an opponent from powerhouse South Korea, the most dominant country in the sport, as she took down Park Jung-yoon in a nail-biting 142-141 win. 

Park trailed by just a single point going into the fifth end, 114-115, but Cojuangco did just enough, submitting a similar 27 score as the Korean to pull off the victory. 

Cojuangco also beat Iran’s Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei in the semifinals and China’s Wei Fangyao and Vietnam’s Le Pham Ngoc Anh in the first two rounds. – Rappler.com