By MARK REY MONTEJO
The country’s top shooters are facing tall order in the face of superior rivals but the Philippine National Shooting Association (PNSA) is doing and pushing everything for them to gain enough points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
PNSA secretary-general Iryne Garcia said association president Rep. Mike Dy is giving Amparo Acuña and Franchette Quiroz all the opportunities to further enhance their Olympic chances which the fashion capital of the world will host from July 26 to Aug. 11.
“There’s a lot going on, we’re trying to join in the qualifying [tournament] and international events since last year, not just the (ISSF) World Cup but also for exposure, the ranking leading to Paris,” Garcia stressed in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.
“We’re planning to set up a training camp in Germany, they’re going there before they go to Brazil for [the] World Cup,” she added.
Quiroz, who is currently ranked Nos. 8 and 44 in 25m and 10m, respectively, broke a 20-year-old national record in the 25-meter pistol event by listing 581 points in the ISSF Asian Championship.
On the other hand, Acuña, who is now No. 64 in the 10-meter pistol ISSF World Rankings, believed they have a huge chance to qualify in the biggest sporting conclave.
“Based on the rankings, we think we have a high chance. Mataas ang ranking ko and those above me, may quota na,” Acuña continued during the weekly forum forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Milo, SMART/PLDT and ArenaPlus, the leading sports entertainment gateway in the Philippines.
“But we must keep on trying because if the top two finishers in each event in the remaining qualifiers have already clinched the quota, it passes on to the other top finishers,” Acuña added.
As part of its buildup, the association is going to host the Southeast Asian Shooting Championship for the first in three decades.
Events will be held in Muntinlupa and Lipa in Batangas.
Acuña and Quiroz will vie as well in Doha, Qatar in April.
Other shooters with good chances to make it to the Paris Games are Enrique Enriquez, Jayson Valdez, Hagen Topacio and Bryan Rosario.
