Tac rips RP mark, gains SEAG stint

MANILA, Philippines - Veteran Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla broke the national rapid fire pistol record last weekend to lead eight other shooters who have qualified to participate in the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Laos this December.

The 45-year-old Padilla, general manager of their family-owned Spring Cooking Oil, fired 577 points to rip his old mark of 572 – actually the same score registered by the 2007 Bangkok SEAG medalist Adzha Hafiz of Malaysia.

Padilla, who won his first international gold medal in the Benito Juarez junior competition in Mexico City when he was only 12, will compete in his 16th SEAG in Laos, also a record.

The other shooters who made the grade were Carolino Gonzalez of Pagcor, Emerito Concepcion (Meralco), S/Sgt Eddie Thomas (Army), Ronald Hejastro, M/Sgt Robert Donalvo (Marines), Shanin Gonzales (Tagaytay), Ruth Ricardo (Ateneo) and Mica Padilla (Assumption College).

Gonzales, Ricardo and Mica all products of PNSA’s National Youth Development Program, surpassed silver medal score of the last SEAG in the 10-meter air pistol team event, while Padilla, Hejastro and Donalvo have consistently bettered the gold medal tally of the last SEAG in the 25-meter standard pistol team competition.

“I feel I’m in good shape as we move closer to the SEA Games,” said Padilla, who has qualified as early as last February. “I’d definitely try to bring home a gold, knowing I’d be competing in the biennial regional sportsfest for 32 years now.”

Like Tac, Concepcion and Gonzales are also veteran SEAG campaigners.