Sibling bond over archery boosts Dumaguete ace in Palaro

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Central Visayas' Naina Dominique Tagle, who shares the same sport as her older sister Nicole, continues her dominant ways in the Palarong Pambansa archery competitions

ILOCOS NORTE, Philippines – Archery is a family affair for Central Visayas ace Naina Dominique Tagle.

And the familial bond revolving around the sport has worked wonders for her, with the 17-year-old Tagle sustaining her dominant ways in the Palarong Pambansa as she continues to collect gold medals and shatter records.

Through Thursday, May 29, Tagle — whose sister Nicole used to represent the country in archery at the international level — has won four golds and one silver on top of setting a pair of new Palaro marks.

“What really made me love archery is it’s like a family sport for me because it’s how my family bonds together. If I have to compete somewhere, my family goes as well,” said the pride of Dumaguete City.

“It started with my sister, I saw her competing when I was in Grade 3, and I saw her shooting, I was like I want to join this sport because I can see her laughing with teammates, opponents. It looked fun.”

The older Tagle enjoyed a successful archery stint at a young age.

Now 23 years old, Nicole won a silver and bronze in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the age of 15 then donned the national colors in the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

She, though, conceded that Naina is the superior archer.

“I hope she’ll go farther than me, and for me, she’s always been the better archer,” said Nicole. “She was there when I was going through things, the good things and the bad. She’s picked up those things along the way.”

“There’s always a learning experience for her every day.”

Naina won the gold medals in 30m, 50m, 60m, and 1,440 round (Single Fita 30m, 50m, 60m, 70m) events in the secondary girls’ division, with two of those coming in record-breaking fashion.

She eclipsed the 30m record set by Ilocos Region’s Irish Angel Licudan in 2024 and broke her own 1,440 round mark established in 2023.

Knowing her sister Nicole has her back has helped Naina achieve those feats.

“She’s like my emotional support, she’s always there, most of the time. She’s there during my competitions,” said the younger Tagle.

“She’s like my reminder for how I should shoot, what I should tell myself, how to encourage myself, and what my parents are saying, what the coaches are telling me, she’s the one there to tell me.” – Rappler.com