Padilla barely misses gold in SEASA tilt

MANILA, Philippines - Multi-titled shooter Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla said he’s optimistic of retaining his rapid fire title in this year’s Southeast Asian Games after settling for a silver medal in the Southeast Asian Shooting Association (SEASA) championships in Vientiane, Laos over the weekend.

“”It was a close fight. But I missed the gold by two points after leading by one going into the last shot of the finals series,” said the 47-year-old Padilla, who lost to Vietnam’s Guangzhou Asian Games silver medalist Ha Minh Thanh.

Padilla ranked only fifth after the first stage with 563 points, but he bounced back in the final series to sweep past Malaysian bronze winner Amirhasan Hazliizwan, the top finisher with 578.

Padilla, general manager of family-owned Spring Cooking Oil and five-time SEAG champion in the rapid fire pistol event, including the one in Laos two years ago, was elated with his showing, which boosted his preparation for the coming SEA Games in Jakarta.

He’s actually determined to add another gold to his colorful SEAG shooting career as he competes for the 17th time in Jakarta, the longest by a Filipino athlete in the biennial sportsfest.

Tac’s silver was the third won by the Philippine delegation headed by shooting association secretary general Nil Gamboa.

Two NYDP (National Youth Development Program) standouts – 15-year-old Jayson Valdez and Inna Therese Gutierrez – produced the other medals. Valdez, who was gifted with a gun by Padilla to replace his old rifle, took the silver in men’s air rifle, while Gutierrez got a bronze in the ladies’ prone rifle event.

Coach Bartolome Teyab, a three-time SEAG champion, remains confident of his wards’ chances in the Jakarta SEAG.

PNSA president and Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero readily also said “we still have two months left. My gut feeling is we can pull off big surprises in the SEA Games.”