Korean gold-maker archery coach brings technique, strategy to PH
Legendary archery coach Ryu Su-jeng stood at the lobby of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) building, waiting for her turn to take the stage during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.
A huge image of the country’s top sports heroes caught her attention.
“No archery,” she said.
That’s what Ryu hopes to change.
The Korean mentor, who has handled her country’s top archers and coached them to Olympic gold medals, is being tapped to handle the country’s national program. It is a job she is excited to take on, turning down more lucrative offers from Mexico and China for a chance to take Philippine archery back to world-class levels.
“I was impressed by the players’ patience; they have already gone through a lot of changes and developments,” Ryu said during the Forum on Tuesday, speaking through interpreter Yu Hyoji, who flew with her from Korea.
While Ryu is more known for leading Korean star An San to three golds in the Tokyo Olympics, her work with Jang Hye-jin would be more relatable to Filipino archers. Ryu took Jang from the shadows of anonymity in a country stacked with top-notch archers and mentored her to two gold medals in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
And she hopes to deliver another zero-to-hero athlete for the country starting with the Southeast Asian Games.
“She came in with a gem of a plan and a strategy,” new World Archery Philippines president Bing Reaport said. “She wants to build a framework. It’s not just about the technical things.”
Same system
Reaport said Ryu’s impact on the archers was immediate.
“She just made a few adjustments, and already, you could feel the improvement among the archers. The morale is really high within the team now,” Reaport said.
Ryu is hoping to apply the same system she used to run successfully in Korea. Her technique is personalized, based on the athlete’s height and build.
Known for the strong bond she shares with her players, Ryu is hoping to overcome the language barrier and forge the same kind of relationship with Filipino archers.
“I try to do everything with them,” she said. “I ask them their favorite food, their hobbies.”
Ryu, who loves to cook, bonds with the players by letting them try her dishes. They talk about popular skin-care methods which are huge in Korea. She teaches them a little Korean, and they teach her English.
All that’s left is to finalize a two-year contract that is still up in the air.
“[PSC] Chairman Peto [Gregorio] and I are preparing the contract,” Reaport said.
Formalizing the deal is of vital importance as several countries continue hounding Ryu about the possibility of her changing her mind. For now, even with no deals signed yet, she continues to build relationships with Filipino archers and slowly makes changes in their approach to training.
The national archery squad is looking to get to the podium in the SEA Games in Bangkok next month, but the goal is to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and train a solid youth team that will qualify for the 2032 Brisbane Games.
