CHENGDU, CHINA – Media OutReach – August 31, 2023 – The 2021 FISU World University Games Chengdu successfully concluded on August 8, with the participation of athletes from 113 different countries and regions, with a total of 6,500 athletes competing in 18 different sports. He recently invited Filipino archer Helbert Remoroza Climaco to share his moving life and how this event turned his archery dream into reality.
“14 years ago, I dreamed of becoming an archer – a boy with a deep passion but with few resources to begin with. Looking back, when I was 4, I still remember vividly that I was doing archery using a broomstick and a nylon rubber band for string. I didn’t know that becoming an archer was far from what I thought. It’s not a success overnight or as easy as one, two, three,” he said.
Just a little knowledge about the poverty of his life, he experienced rice harvesting from the age of 12. He also helped prepare the farm for planting rice and corn and transported bags of rice from the middle of the rice field to a nearby village. road under the heat of the sun.
He was in the 7th year of high school when he saw that an archery sport was offered at the school. In 8th grade, he started playing the sport at the school where he was enrolled. As his parents could not afford to buy him equipment, he used to borrow from school. The bow he used for years, from 8th to 10th grade, was a wooden bow. Then, in grade 11, someone from another school allowed him to borrow a bow, better than the one he used before. This bow was a great help for him to compete in Palarong Bicol or the regional competition as they called it. The regional sports competition is the only highest level he has reached for two consecutive years in high school, from grades 10 to 11 (2016-2017).
Then he quit archery and the 2017 Palarong Bicol was the last time he shot. From 2017 to 2020, he trained archers for free at his old high school and other high schools. After the pandemic in February 2021, he joined a virtual 18 meter archery tournament organized by World Archery Philippines (WAP), a dry run for the upcoming Indoor Archery World Series Online organized by World Archery (WA) . A week later, he registered for this event and was the only archer from the Bicol region to participate in this world ranking event. He also participated in the 3rd Japan Archery Festival, organized by the Japan Archery Federation (AJAF), a day apart from the world archery event.
After these competitions, he encouraged other archers from neighboring provinces and cities in the Bicol region to take up archery, who had stopped shooting due to the pandemic. “I realized that I had never been to the Palarong Pambansa (National Games), but now I have the opportunity to represent the Philippines in international competitions thanks to the virtual format. The pandemic has brought us negative effects, but it also gave me an opportunity in archery that I had never had before,” he added.
When he heard about the FISU World University Games Chengdu 2021, he felt nervous and excited because it came to his mind as he had previously only watched them on YouTube and World’s Facebook page. Archery; now he has the chance to participate. However, his chances of participating in the FISU Games were too slim, as it required a large sum.
“I am very lucky because the official website and social media team of the FISU Games Chengdu 2021 helped me find a sponsor for my participation. I am sincerely grateful to the anonymous person who made my dreams come true. My family is delighted Then I traveled alone to Chengdu and participated in the FISU Games without a coach or teammates,” he said with gratitude, “I would like to express my gratitude to the FISU team official website and social media of the FISU Games Chengdu 2021 because they picked me at the airport. On the bus from the airport to the FISU Games village, I didn’t notice that my eyes were filled with tears. Until then, I couldn’t believe that I was in Chengdu and the dream I had prayed for was now a reality.”
On the field, even though he was the only archer from the Philippines, he never felt alone because the Swiss team and the Australian team helped him a lot. Coaches from both delegations guided him in his first match, where he won against a higher-ranked Slovak archer. “The FISU Chengdu 2021 Games are very memorable. I had the chance to meet other top archers from around the world, including one of my idols from South Korea who also won an individual title, and I made new friends,” he noted.
“I am incredibly blessed and happy. Thank you to the anonymous person who sponsored my participation. To the Chengdu 2021 Official Website and Social Media Team – Thank you so much for everything you have done for me since the beginning! Thank you to all the people who have helped me and finally to my family for the endless support and love you have given me.
In the future, he plans to become a teacher rather than a sailor to pursue my archery dreams. His goal was the FISU Rhine-Rhur 2025 World University Games if he could participate. He also plans to continue training archers for free, inspiring them and motivating them to keep going, no matter what. “I firmly believe that reflecting on my journey in archery, the FISU Chengdu 2021 World University Games will forever remain one of the most significant and cherished moments of my career.”
Hashtag: #Chengdu2021FISUWorldUniversityGames
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