RP shooters fire off SEAG campaign

BANGKOK — The Philippines starts its title defense in the 24th Southeast Asian Games today with three Filipino marksmen vying for honors in Day One of the shooting competition at Thailand Shooting and Clay Target Ranges here.

Carolino Gonzales, Susan Aguado and Nikki Medina are all looking to become the first Filipino to snare a medal in the Games as they compete in the air pistol, 25m women sports pistol and 50m rifle prone events, respectively.

All three events fire off at 9 a.m. The finals are set at 1 p.m. and, by 3 p.m., the fates of the three shooters should be known.

All 19 RP shooters settled in their hotel rooms Sunday and had their practice session yesterday. The team is raring to deliver in their event to provide the Philippines early momentum as action in the Games goes full blast after the opening ceremony on Dec. 6 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

The RP marksmen are determined to duplicate or surpass their 3-3-2 gold-silver-bronze haul the last time which helped Team Philippines achieve its first-ever overall championship in the Games.

Gonzales and Aguado are both seasoned veterans and both past SEAG champions.

Gonzales is also entered in the 50m pistol event set tomorrow, the same day Emerito Concepcion, Darryl Sandoval and Antonio Hermoso go for the team and individual champion-ships in the 10m air rifle.

Aguado competes in air pistol while Gonzales teams up with Nathaniel Padilla and Robert Donalvo in the 25m standard pistol Wednesday.

Padilla competes in his favorite rapid fire on Thursday. Donalvo is also entered in this event while Edwin Fernandez, Eddie Torres and Rocky Padilla vie for the 50m rifle prone team and individual crowns.

Padilla, Donalvo, Gonzales, Fernandez, Torres and Pardilla return to action at the close of their event Friday.

The skeet and trap contests are set Saturday and Sunday with the Philippines pinning their hopes on Jethro Dionisio, Eric Ang and Carlos Carag.

Coach Bartolome Teyab said Padilla, Concepcion and Medina are strong gold-medal hopefuls.

“Our shooters are in high spirits. We’re looking to surpass our production in 2005. But it’s hard to tell what we can do because shooting is anybody’s game. It’s mental game,” said Donald Padilla, the shooting federation secretary-general.

The Thais, the runaway overall shooting champions in Manila, are expected all the more to stamp their class on the opposition on home front.

And as in Manila, the Filipinos are likely to face stiff challenge for runner-up honors from the Vietnamese and the Malaysians.

The Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia each won three gold medals in 2005. Vietnam took second place with four silvers to the Philippines’ three.

While the Filipino shooters have been confined to training at home, the Vietnamese are said to have been all over the world in their SEAG preparation while the Malaysians have been training under the watchful eyes of a German coach.

The Thais are simply a force to reckon with, winning nine golds, seven silvers and six bronzes in Manila. They won four golds in rifle and pistol events, three in practical shooting and two in trap.