'Tac' cops 3 shoot titles

MANILA, Philippines - National pistol champion Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla re-displayed his old brilliance as he won three more titles in the National Open shooting championships at the Marines range in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City recently.

Padilla, the 48-year-old general manager of their family-owned Spring Cooking Oil, maintained his excellence for the 35th year while keeping his unparalled record as national champion as he whipped his rivals in rapid fire, center fire and standard pistol competitions.

“I really prepared hard for the national tournament,” said Padilla, who won his first national crown in 1978 when he was barely 13 years old. He has also represented the Philippines 17 times in the biennial Southeast Asian Games, the only athlete in the region to have achieved the feat.

Padilla shot 550 points to beat Robert Donalvo (537) and Ronaldo Hejastro (533) in rapid fire, 546 to topple Donalvo (536) and fellow Asian Gamer Carolino Gonzales (533) in center fire, and 541 to trim Hejastro (539) and Donalvo (537) in standard pistol.

A prodigy of Padilla, youthful rifleman Jayson Valdez, shared the spotlight by beating many-time SEAG champion Emerito Concepcion in the 10-meter air rifle event.

Valdez tallied 588 to edge Concepcion, who scored 585, and Celdon Jude Arellano, who finished with 583.

The other gold medalists in the tourney organized by the Philippine National Shooting Association are Carolino Gonzales, Venus Lovelyn Tan, Edwin Fernandez and Inna Therese Gutierrez.

Gonzales scored 536 points to subdue Tito Carpio (533) and Clarence Pukya (503) in 50-meter pistol.

Tan tallied 382 to beat Amparo Teresa Acuna (375) and Maria Isabelle Eufemio (375) in women’s 10-meter air rifle.

Fernandez collected 584 to nip Miguel Gabriel Jayme (582) and Jayson Valdez (580) in 50 meter rifle prone.

Gutierrez recorded 589 to pull away from Acuna (579) and Frances Nicolle Medina (573) in women’s 50-meter rifle prone.