ARCHER Elizabeth Bayla ruled the women’s compound open division in the 8th Philippine National Para Games on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
The 56-year-old from Baguio City edged Paris Paralympian Agustina Bantiloc in the 15-arrow Olympic round, 132-131, to seize the gold medal during the five-day meet organized by the Philippine Paralympic Committee and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.
“Mahigpit ang laban namin. Kahit sino pwedeng manalo sa amin,’’ said Bayla, who shifted to the compound event after topping the women’s recurve open during the 2019 edition of the PNPG.
Bantiloc topped the 72-arrow elimination phase with 639 points with 19 of her shots hitting the bull’s-seye while Bayla had 25 perfect shots and finished with 637 points.
“With my score, qualified na ako sumali sa international competitions,’’ said Bayla, who is seeking to represent the country in the Asean Para Games next year in Thailand and the 2026 Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan.
Bayla’s ultimate dream, however, is to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.
“Siyempre lahat naman kami nangangarap na makapunta sa Paralympics,’’ said Bayla, who has an amputated left leg from the knee down.
