Throughout Agustina’s career in para-archery, it can be considered her biggest opportunity to represent the Philippines at the recently concluded Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games.
“I’m happy, and I’ve learned many things that I hope we can apply in our next training sessions,” says Agustina Bantiloc, para-archer.
Although she was unable to bring home a medal, she was still honored by the city government on Monday, September 30.
Agustina is originally from Tanudan, Kalinga, and now resides in Baguio City.
Here, her skills in archery have been further honed with the help of the Philippine Sports Commission and the Persons with Disability Affairs Office of the city government.
However, she also admits that the para-athletes of the country still need to improve their skills.
She saw this firsthand from the competitors she faced at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
“They are more experienced in competitions because they have participated in many qualifying competitions, while we only secured slots during the qualifying in Thailand. So what we’re asking for is more exposure to help boost our confidence,” Batiloc mentioned.
She stated that she is open to participating in other competitions and additional training to further enhance her skills.
The para-athletes of the city are currently preparing for the Philippine National Para Games in November and qualifying for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and Asian Games.
Aside from Agustina, the city government also recognized Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas after they competed in boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I feel so blessed and grateful for the attention given to us athletes, especially to the youth. This support is a tremendous help for young people to see this kind of support,” says Nesthy Petecio, Bronze Medalist – Paris 2024 Olympics.
Islay Erika Bomogao was also recognized after being named the world number one in the 45-kg elite class by the International Federation of Muaythai Associations.
“To the youth who are also dreaming, just keep pushing,” says Islay Erika Bomogao, the World’s No. 1 Muay Thai Fighter – 45kg Female Elite Category.
Islay is set to compete in the 2024 Asian Open Cup Invitational in Taipei, Taiwan this October.
**CHARLES NIKKO LIMON
