Moreno, 3 other PH archers eye Rio slots

ARCHER Gabriel Moreno will have his final shot at an Olympic spot when he sees action in the archery World Cup on June 12 to 19 in Antalya, Turkey.

The Youth Olympic Games gold medalist left early this week to familiarize himself with the venue for the Olympic qualifier, where archers from all over the world will vie for the remaining berths in the Rio de Janeiro Games.

Joining Moreno in Turkey are fellow recurve specialists Florante Matan, Kareel Hongitan and 2012 London Olympian Rachelle Cabral dela Cruz, as well as Amaya Paz-Cojuangco, who will compete in the women’s compound, a non-Olympic event.

Delegation head Don Sombrio said the Filipinos’ chances in Turkey are bright since the world’s best archers’ won’t be seeing action there.

The majority of Olympic qualifiers have already made it to Rio through the world championships and the continental tournaments.

Sombrio said the Filipino archers consistently surpassed the Olympic standard scores during their two-month training at FR Sevilla Range in Quezon City.

The Philippines has never failed to send a qualifier to the Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games.