The Philippine archery team clinched its first gold medal at the 31st Southeast Asian Games after its women’s recurve team survived Vietnam via shoot-off.
Sisters Pia and Abby Bidaure, and Phoebe Amistoso outplayed the trio of Thi Anh Nguyet Do, Thi Ngoc Ha and Thi Thanh Nhi Nguyen, 5-4, to also end Vietnam’s reign in the event.
Abby emerged as the heroine for the PH squad, hitting the bullseye in the final arrow of the shoot-off for a 10 with just 10 seconds left on the clock, eliciting loud cheers from other members of the team who watched the thrilling showdown from behind.
The winning team battled back with a 57-49 win in the fourth frame after trailing 1-2 in the first three, forcing a shoot-off that came down to Abby’s winning shot.
This was the women’s recurve team’s first gold medal since winning the bronze medal in the 2017 edition held in Malaysia.
The archery squad shoots for its second gold Thursday when it battles Malaysia in the finals of the compound bow mixed team event.
Paul dela Cruz and Jennifer Chan came from behind to edge Thailand, 155-154, in the semis last Tuesday while the Malaysians beat Vietnam, 154-152.