Teenager breaks RP shoot mark

THE Philippines found a new ace shooter after Jayson Galvez shattered a five-year-old national record in the men’s 10-meter air rifle competition at the PSC/Marines range in Fort Bonifacio over the weekend.

The 15-year-old high school student of Malate Catholic School fired 595 points to edge the 594 points set by veteran Emerito Concepcion.

Post your reaction to the Manila hostage crisis

Valdez will soon don the Philippines in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China this November together with current Southeast Asian Games rapid fire champion Nathaniel Padilla and Lorenz Manosca.

“Jayson will definitely go far in his event,” said Padilla, whose experience draws parallelism with Galvez.

Padilla became a world junior champion at age 12 in the rapid fire, center fire and standard pistol events at the Benito Juarez World Shooting Championships in Mexico City in 1976.

As this developed, Padilla thanked the Philippine Olympic Committee for including Valdez and Manosca as part of the Philippine contingent.

Manosca, 18, qualified in the men’s 10-meter air pistol event. He wound up 562 points to defeat Carolino Gonzales by one point and Ronald Robies by three.

Valdez finished 16 points ahead of third-ranked Allen Pinlac who was followed by John Cymon Concepcion (570), Filbert Tan (556) and Dr. Allen Librojo (531).

Irish Palma ruled the women’s 10-meter air rifle contest with 381, followed by Venus Tan (379), Aiane Lim (358), Andrea Faustman (356), Cherry Calvelo (350) and Sam Ty (348).(Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)