Singaporean with Pinoy blood clinches silver

NANJING – The Philippines, by blood, has a medal to show in this Youth Olympic Games.

Lindsay Martina Veloso, a 14-year-old shooter, bagged the silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event Tuesday at the Fangshan Shooting Hall here.

Veloso won the medal for Singapore.

She was born and raised there, and no, her medal won’t count for the Philippines. Her Filipino parents, Melvin and Loressa, migrated to the Lion City many years ago.

Veloso is the national record holder in Singapore in women’s 10-meter air rifle, scoring a perfect 400 last year in one local tournament.

The shooter who’s hoping to vie in the 2016 Rio Olympics won the gold in the same event in the recent ISSF World Cup in Munich where she was the youngest participant.

Veloso is one of 18 Singaporean athletes that made it to this YOG. They have four athletes in swimming, three in sailing, two each in badminton, table tennis, triathlon and shooting, and one each in athletics, diving and gymnastics.

Veloso’s silver medal is the first for the tiny island city state here in Nanjing.

Singapore has a very strong sports program and has all the money to spend on its athletes.The Filipino entry in the men’s 10-meter air rifle, Celdon Jude Arellano, did not reach the finals.

According to May Chen, a correspondent with The Strait Times in Singapore, Veloso studies at the Singapore Sports School, and speaks Mandarin.