Korean archery coach, Olympic gold maker, heads PH SEAG team
Top archery coach Ryu Ju-seng, whose exploits have helped validate South Korea as the top country in the sport, will mentor the country’s representatives to the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
And that’s not even the most exciting news for the country’s national archers.
Ryu, who guided Jang Hye-jin from a struggling archer who couldn’t make the national team into a two-gold Olympic medalist in 2016, has agreed to coach the country’s young archers because she sees future champions among young hopefuls.
“In my conversation with coach Ryu, the form and technique of the kids are good, and they are at the foundational age,” said World Archery Philippines (WAP) president Bing Reaport, who pulled off the coaching coup with the help of Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Pato Gregorio.
Ryu, who visited the country to witness the country’s top young archers compete during one of WAP’s evaluation tournament, was even more profuse in her pronouncements over the potential of the young kids.
“These are your future champions,” Ryu, set to arrive on Nov. 16, told Reaport.
“This is very good news for us,” Reaport said. “A bit short in preparation for the team, but this is a good starting point for us.”
Ryu signed up for the SEA Games period, but the two sides are now working on a deal that will have the successful Korean handling the archery program over the next two years.
“With the right program, discipline, and proper coaching and mentoring, she is sure that [the young talents] can reach the Olympics at some point in their career,” Reaport said. “The key is we need to take care of them and make sure that development programs are in place.”
Two of the young archers that caught Ryu’s attention during her visit here last summer were Leila Cano of San Carlos in Pangasinan and Yohan de Gula of Marikina City.
