De Leon targets gold in 2009

Two weeks after winning a silver medal in the 2008 World Shoot XV Championship, national team member Oryza Shelley De Leon is hoping to win the gold when she competes next year in other tournaments abroad.

De Leon, a member of the Philippine Practical Shooting Association (PPSA), is preparing for the upcoming European Shooting Open in Czech Republic and Australian Open Shootfest next year.

Because of her passion for the sport, she joined competitions every weekend and practiced a lot before going to Bali, Indonesia recently.

“I’m very happy that my hard work in the last competition (World Shoot) has finally paid off,” said De Leon.

De Leon, also the PPSA national champion this year in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, gathered a score of 1492.2466 in the production lady event to earn the silver medal in the recent 2008 World Shoot XV Championship at Bali, Indonesia.

“I’ll start my usual training and conditioning next week,” said De Leon, who outclassed shooters from Russia, Czech Republic, Norway, Brazil, Thailand and Australia in her previous event. “I’m expecting that the coming year would be tougher.”

The multi-titled Ilocana shooter and hand gun (pistol) expert, who is into catering, party organizing and concert production, said she will resume her weekly training together with her team Armscor the soonest possible time.