BAGUIO City’s Kareel Meer Hongitan is marking her target as she starts her month-long training for the upcoming World Archery Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark next month.
The first ever Cordilleran to join the Philippine Women’s Archery Team (recurve) has set her sights for possible honors in the international competition which kicks off July 26 until August 2.
This will be the fourth outing for the current second best female marksman in country, hunting her second international award since last year in Korea where she helped the Philippine junior women’s contingent in salvaging bronze medal from the team competitions.
“I am really hoping to keep a good track as I join my other teammates in Denmark, hopefully this will be the chance to score another award for the country,” Kareel told Sun.Star Baguio.
The 18-year-old athlete is now part of the senior women archers alongside Bianca Gotuaco, Crizabelle Merto and 2012 London Olympian Rachelle Ann Cabral-dela Cruz.
The BS Tourism student from the University of Baguio is determined to bounce back from her poor performance in the recently concluded 28th Southeast Asian Games held in Singapore where after ranking 12th overall in the qualification rounds yielded to a slump during the eliminations round-up.
“Hopefully, I will have better management in preparing for the WAC. I guess during the SEA Games, I was already down from my peak performance that was why I was not able to perform well,” Kareel quipped. “This time I am more focused to get myself in the best condition, physically and mentally,” she added.
Meanwhile, Kareel’s father and archery coach John said he is confident her daughter will do a better performance in the world cup.
“She was just over stressed during the SEA Games. She will hit her targets better this time around,” John said, adding Kareel was showing a more decent performance during her participation in the 2015 Archery World Cup-Stage 1 last May where she ranked eighth overall in the individual contest.
“Apart from keeping her spot in the national team, she is also working hard to maintain her grades in school as a Dean’s lister,” John added.
Kareel, who started shooting arrows at the age of nine, was recruited as part of the Philippine team January this year after holding the top spot in the Philippine Archers National Network and Alliance Inc.’s WAC qualifiers.