Olympian Ang still king of Phl trap shooting

MANILA, Philippines - Beijing Olympian Eric Ang re-stamped his class in trap shooting as he won the gold medal for the fourth straight year in the Philippine National Shooting Association (PNSA) Open Championships at the Trap and Skeet Shooting Range in Muntinlupa City recently.

Ang flashed top form despite limited practice time due to gun ban and lack of competition, foiling Hagen Topacio in a tense showdown, 10-7, to retain his title in the 15-round competition.

“I don’t have a benefit of a good and long practice due to gun ban so I relied much on my experience,” said the 5-foot-4 businessman from Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. “That’s the reason why I almost lost to Hagen.”

The win was Ang’s 11th since becoming one of the spearheads of the Philippine team in 1997. The victory was also significant since he beat the shooter being groomed to be his successor owing to the latter’s tremendous improvement the past two years.

The win also augurs well Ang’s buildup for the South East Asian Championships slated Nov. 6-7 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where he is also the defending champion.

“I’m hoping I can shoot well in Malaysia, but I know it’s going to be a tough tournament,” said Ang, who will be shooting for his fourth gold medal in Kuala Lumpur.

Using his trusted Beretta DT10 12 Gauge, Ang, 42, topped the qualifying round by hitting 110 targets to tow five others into the first final round which he also ruled with 13 targets. Topacio arranged a gold medal showdown with Ang by downing 12 targets.

Jethro Dionisio failed to reach the medal play.

Meanwhile, London Games veteran Brian Rosario won the skeet event while Ylvana Dy beat out Kathleen Granados for the gold in the trap event.