BELIEVE it or not, air rifle shooter Jayson Valdez dreamt three years ago of competing in the Olympic Games — and winning the gold medal, to boot.
“This was in 2018. It’s the Olympic Games. Hindi ko alam kung anong Olympic Games ‘yun.
Nag-start ‘yung competition, nag-finals, tapos medal na kaagad,” Valdez said yesterday as he recalled his dream. “Malinaw ‘yung mukha ko sa panaginip and malinaw na gold ‘yung hawak ko.”
Valdez disclosed his dream during the Philippine Sportswriters Association online forum, four days after the International Shooting Sports Federation informed him that he had earned a quota slot for Asia in the 10-meter individual air rifle event to the Tokyo Olympic Games next month.
“Siguro isa ‘yun sa pangitain ko but we’ll see, anything can happen (in Tokyo),” Valdez said.
He admitted he was close to giving up on his Olympic dreams and, in fact, had already enlisted in the Army when the call for national team and Olympic duty came.
“My lesson I learned here is not to give up on your aspirations. It may not come when you expect it but it will surely come. Tinadhana talaga akong maging shooter,” said Valdez, who had followed in the footsteps of his father, former national shooter Julius Valdez, who bagged three gold medals and a silver in the 1987 Jakarta SEA Games.
The elder Valdez now coaches his son, the country’s 12th bet to the Tokyo Games and the first Pinoy shooter to compete in the Olympics since Paul Bryan Rosario made the cut in the men’s skeet event as a wild card entry during the 2012 Games in London.
Jayson is also being supported by five-time SEA Games gold medal winner Nathaniel “Tac’ Padilla, whom he fondly calls “Dad.”
Despite the pandemic, the younger Valdez said he is primed and looking forward to do well in Tokyo.
He had kept himself in top physical and mental shape since last year, a major factor that enabled him to surpass the minimum qualifying score of 595 points not once but six times during the Olympic qualifying period that began in 2018.
“Because I focused on my fitness I was able to exceed the MQS six times and event shot 626 points in actual competition. I have also scored 630 several times in practice,” Valdez said.
Italian Niccolo Campriani holds the Olympic record of 630.2 points set in the 2016 Rio Olympiad, topping the qualifying round on the way to bagging the gold medal.
Valdez said he is undaunted by the big field of shooters (30) in Tokyo, anticipating that it will likely be the same opposition he faced in the World Cup series and other international events in his Olympic qualifying bid.
“I am confident that with my training and prayers, I hope that I will be able to make that Olympic golden dream a reality,” he said in the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
Valdez will start practicing this Thursday, his sight set on advancing to the top eight slots that will advance to the medal round. His immediate goal is best his personal best of 630 points.
Meanwhile, Pinoy recurve archers missed their targets at the close of the World Archery Olympic qualifying tournament in Paris, France last Monday.
Jan Emmanuel Feliciano, Riley Silos and siblings Pia Elizabeth and Gabrielle Monica Bidaure fell to superior opposition and failed in their bids to qualify for Tokyo.
