WHILE pushing for last-minute changes in the Philippine contingent for the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, the Philippine Olympic Committee might want to take a closer look at the composition of the national shooting squad.
Among them is skeet shooter Joaquin Ancheta, who did not finish in two elimination tournaments organized by the Philippine National Shooting Association and did it again in July during the ISSF Lonato Cup, an Olympic qualifying event, in Lonato del Garda, Italy.
But Ancheta has been included in Category A of athletes released by the POC two days ago, meaning his stint in the Asian Games will be funded by the Philippine Sports Commission, after being endorsed by PNSA secretary general Iryne Garcia.
Documents obtained by Malaya-Business Insight showed Ancheta finished fifth and last after failing to complete the five rounds of the skeet event following scores of 11-20-15 in the fifth leg of the PNSA eliminations last May 20-21 at the PSC shooting range inside the Bureau of Corrections compound in Muntinlupa.
Ancheta also did not finish in the 1st leg of the PNSA qualifiers for the ISSF Asian Championships last July 1-2 following scores of 17, 16, 16, respectively, in the first three rounds of the five-round event.
Despite his sub-par scores, he was sent by the PNSA to the tough ISSF Lonato Cup from July 8 to 17 in Lonato del Garda, Italy, winding up with the same fate, shooting 16-16 in the first two rounds. He placed dead last among the 196 skeet entries.
A reliable source said another Pinoy entry, Enrique Apolinario, who never saw action in any of the local PNSA elimination meets, wound up one rung higher with a score of 92 points, based on the results posted on the International Shooting Sports Federation website.
Incidentally, Ormoc, Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez, the national team chief of mission to the Hangzhou Asiad, finished 189th out of 196 shooters in the trap event of the Lonato Cup with a score of 91. This tally was lower than the 92 he shot in the May PNSA qualifying meet.
Beijing Olympian Eric Ang was the best Filipino trap hooter in the Lonato event at No. 93 with 113 points, Hagen Topacio was No. 97 with 112 points and Carlos Carag No. 164 with 103 points. Topacio (116) and Ang (112) were 1-2 in PNSA eliminations just before the Lonato Cup.
Ang, however, was bracketed in Category B of the list submitted by the POC, meaning he would have to pay on his own if he wants to compete in the Asian Games.
“The PNSA should not send unqualified shooters who have not qualified in our eliminations in the Philippines,” noted former national shooter Ed Fernandez.
A gold medalist in the 2005 Chiang Mai Southeast Asian Games, Fernandez said they were required to sign an agreement during their time that they will only compete abroad if they met the qualifying standards set by the association.
“This guaranteed that we would only be sending the best of the best shooters to represent our country overseas,” Fernandez stressed.
