World champ marked man in Bolo Cup

MANILA, Philippines - Focus will be on five-time world champion Eric Grauffel of France when the 12th Demetrio “Bolo” Tuason Cup fires off July 12 to 15 at the Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor) shooting range in Marikina.

Grauffel bagged the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) world title in 1999 in Cebu, 2002 in South Africa, 2005 in Ecuador, 2008 in Indonesia and last year in Greece. He has gone undefeated since 1999.

The 32-year-old Frenchman is on an unprecedented win streak with 191 President Medals under his belt.

Armscor Shooting Ranges, Inc. president Gina Marie Angangco told yesterday’s PSA Forum that Grauffel’s participation generated interest from various shooting sectors.

Also coming in to spice up the event which also serves as the National Capital Region (NCR) Area Championship is United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) grand master Simon “JJ” Racaza, who was born in Cebu.

Racaza first fired a gun when he was six, and went on to become one of the finest in US shooting history. He was the top qualifier from the US to the 2010 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship.

Racaza, who now works for the US Department of Homeland Security, competed in the History Channel’s Top Shot reality competition.

“When they heard that Eric and JJ were coming suddenly they all wanted to come,” said Angangco during the weekly forum sponsored by Smart, Pagcor and Shakey’s.

To spearhead the local field are former world champion Jethro Dionisio and Mary Grace Tan, winner of the European Championship ladies crown in 2007. Angangco said they expect around 500 local and foreign shooters to compete.

The coming event has been sanctioned as a Level 3 Match by the IPSC and the Philippine Practical Shooting Association. It will also serve as qualifier to the Philippine team to the Australasia Championships in New Zealand next year.

There will be competition in the standard, open, classic, production and revolver categories.