Tac claims spot in SEAG team

MANILA, Philippines - Reigning national pistol champion Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla has clinched a slot on the Philippine team to the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November this year by tearing apart the criteria for the rapid fire pistol event.

The 46-year-old Padilla, general manager of their family-owned Spring Cooking Oil, tallied 574 points to easily surpass the gold medal criteria of 561.

“Long hours of training and regular competition help me stay in shape,” said Padilla, the only gold winner of the RP shooting team since 2007 and rapid fire champion in the 2009 SEA Games in Laos. “I have to work hard because I want to defend my title.”

Padilla is actually the most consistent Filipino athlete as far as local and international competitions are concerned. He will be making his 17th appearance in the SEA Games in Indonesia since he made his debut in the biennial sportsfest in 1977.

After the last two elimination rounds, Padilla has remained unchallenged. He believes his scores, as well as those of the other contenders for shooting slots, will improve tremendously after the Philippine Sports Commission, through chairman Richie Garcia and commissioner Buddy Andrada, has started fast-tracking the importation of much needed training and competition ammunition.