Chuatoco trains sights on Asian shooting tourney

MANILA, Philippines - Promising national shooter Alyanna Chuatoco guns for a gold medal finish in the fifth Asian Shooting Championship set Oct. 29-Nov. 4 in Nanchang, China after her remarkable performances in the last four competitions.

Showing her expertise in air pistol, Chuatoco grabbed the gold medal in the National Youth Development Program event last March and then gained two gold medals in Southeast Asian Shooting Association (SEASA) qualifying last April.

“I really want to win the gold in the Asian Shooting Championship in October and I’m very confident of my chances,” said Chuatoco, who expects powerhouse Asian countries like China and Korea to test her skills in the air pistol event.

Although she will skip the SEASA competition slated in June, Chuatoco remains committed to her shooting career when she competed in the Philippine National Games Sunday at the Fort Bonifacio Shooting Range.

Chuatoco, who turned 18 Saturday, earned a silver medal in the 10-m air pistol event after posting 365 points behind gold winner Shanin Gonzales (370 points) while Isabelle Fernandez settled for bronze (364).

“We celebrated her debut Saturday and she had a competition the following day, but I’m happy that she still took home a silver,” said Alyanna’s father Allen.

In fact, Chuatoco beat Shanin Gonzales last April in the same event in the last SEASA qualifying competition organized by the Philippines National Shooting Association under president Mikee Romero. She tallied 373 points while Gonzales had 369.

But Chuatoco, who placed 16th among 35 shooters in the air pistol discipline in Guangzhou Asian Games when she was 16, said she is really working out so hard in the shooting range every Saturday and Sunday.

“I really want to be the best shooter that’s why I’m working very hard,” said Chuatoco, an incoming Ateneo communication technology management freshman.

 student in Ateneo this coming school year.

She skipped the SEASA competition this June in Malaysia because of her upcoming orientation in Ateneo. She is also a member of the Ateneo shooting team.

“I cannot go on and enrol in Ateneo if I compete in Malaysia. My family has decided that I will skip the SEASA event. We feel that it’s a good reason to skip a tournament. Studies first,” she said.