NAGOYA, Japan — Amaya Amparo Cojuangco made Philippine archery history Thursday, winning silver in the women’s individual compound event at the 2026 Asian Games.
The 40-year-old veteran battled Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah down to the final arrow before settling for silver in a 139-137 loss in the gold-medal match at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square.
Cojuangco’s finish marked the Philippines’ first appearance in an Asian Games archery final and gave the country its 19th medal and fourth silver of the Games.
The Filipina kept the gold-medal match tight from the start. Both archers opened with 28 points and remained level at 110 after four ends.
Ashrifah, however, found the edge in the end, scoring 29 points to Cojuangco’s 27 to pull away and secure the gold.
Cojuangco reached the final after a pair of close victories earlier in the day.
She edged South Korea’s Park Jungyoon, 142-141, in the semifinal after beating Iran’s Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei, 146-135, in the quarterfinal.
Cojuangco delivered three perfect 30-point ends against Asheghzadeh Oskouei, showing the precision that carried her into the medal rounds.
Her silver surpassed the Philippines’ previous best Asian Games result in archery — a bronze won by Paul Marton Dela Cruz in 2014.
For Cojuangco, a longtime national team mainstay, the medal adds another milestone to a career built around repeatedly carrying the Philippine flag on the international stage.
Her historic run also gives Philippine archery its first Asian Games individual final and its highest finish in the sport at the continental competition. POC MEDIA POOL
