London-bound Rosario leads Phl shooters in Kuala Lumpur meet

MANILA, Philippines - Skeet shooter Brian Rosario primes up for the London Olympics as he heads the 21-man Philippine team to the South East Asian Shooting Championships unfolding Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

According to Philippine National Shooting Association (PNSA) president Mikee Romero, Rosario has been training rigorously since last year but his readiness for the London Games will be gauged when he competes against the region’s best in the week-long tournament.

“The tournament is going to be Rosario’s barometer, this is a good tournament for him,” said Romero, owner of Harbour Centre. “Whether he’s peaking at the right time, we will know after the tournament.”

Romero expects the country’s wild card entry to figure prominently in the event set to start on July 30 after his impressive showing in the World Cup last October in Serbia where he shot 120.

His feat was just one point shy of the winning effort of American top shooter Vincent Hancock who won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Rosario’s awe-inspiring Serbia stint came after he shot a respectable 118 in the 2011 Sydney World Cup series last April that bettered the minimum qualifying score of 114.

“He is shooting at a world-class level. It’s been a long-time since a Filipino shooter has reached this level,” said Romero. “But his event is very tough because they (participants) have to shoot for three days.”

Aside from Rosario, also taking part in the KL event, according to PNSA secretary general Col. Danilo Gamboa, are last year’s silver medalist Jayson Valdez and bronze medalist Inna Therese Gutierrez.

Also in the team are veteran rifle shooter Emerito Concepcion, Patricio Bernardo, Gabriel Tong, Eric Ang, Hagen Topacio, Anson Pena Sy, Miguel Laperal, Ylvana Dy, Monica Yang, Joelle Panganiban, Frances Nicole Medina, Amparo Acuna, Celdon Jude Arellano, Dianne Nicole Eufemio, Shanin Lyn Gonzalez, Ma. Isabel Fernandez, Venus Lovelyn Tan, and Mark Manosca.

The Philippine Sports Commission, chaired by Richie Garcia, and Harbour Centre are backing the country’s participation in the event.