Phl gets wildcard for one shooter in London Olympics

MANILA, Philippines - In the hot hands of the Filipino shooter to the coming London Olympics may rest the country’s chances of winning the elusive gold.

“You never know. The first gold may even come from us,” said shooting association president Mikee Romero yesterday.

Romero graced the PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Avenue and presented three of the four shooters hoping to represent the Philippines to the London Games.

They are Paul Brian Rosario (shotgun skeet), Jason Valdez (air rifle) and Tac Padilla (rapid fire pistol). The other hopeful, Hagen Topacio (shotgun trap) was not around.

It’s actually a race among these four shooters who all attained the minimum qualifying scores (MSQ) in their respective events for them to be considered as a wild card entry.

The International Olympic Committee has eight wildcard slots for shooting in the London Olympics set July 27 to Aug. 12 and it has decided recently to award one of them to the Philippines.

Since there are four candidates, Romero said they submitted all names to the IOC which will be the one to choose the Filipino representative depending on the needs for a respective event.

“If the IOC feels they need to use the wildcard for a shotgun shooter, then they will choose one. If it’s for a rifle or a pistol, then they will choose one. It’s now up to them,” said Romero.

Phl chef de mission Manny Lopez also lauded both the IOC and the international shooting federation for giving the country the chance to send a Filipino shooter to the quadrennial meet.

“We are grateful to the ISSF for giving the Philippines a chance to participate in the sport with the most number of member nations. This is definitely a great boost to Team Philippines’ campaign,” Lopez said in a statement.

Romero said the PNSA worked hard for the wildcard through the help of Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco, former PNSA chief Art Macapagal and ISSF vice president Sheik Salman Al Sabah.

The decision, Romero said, should come in the next 30 days.

“We’re lucky to be given one slot,” said Romero.

But Romero is confident that whoever is chosen among the four, whether it’s the 48-year-old Padilla or the 16-year-old Valdez, the Philippines may just pull off a surprise.

Romero said the 29-year-old Del Rosario shot 120 over 125 points in his event during the last World Cup in Belgrade when in the 2008 Beijing Olympics the gold was won with 121 points.

“He is shooting very well. But it’s really up to the IOC,” said Romero, also joined in the forum by PNSA executive director Atty. Hilario Paredes and secretary general Col. Danilo Gamboa.

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Jethro Dionisio was the lone Filipino representative while four years later in Beijing it was Eric Ang who carried the fight for the country.

Gamboa, 73, a perennial member of the Philippine team to the SEA Games during his prime, said the best finish ever by a Filipino shooter in the Olympics was fourth or fifth – courtesy of Col. Martin Gison during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

“So, whoever is chosen should be ready. And we will make sure he gets all the support. He has to be ready,” added Romero, who will attend the World Shoot Congress in the United Kingdom on April 17.

“Hopefully by then we will know who our entry to the London Olympics will be,” he said.