FILIPINO Olympian Eric Ang came up one point short of the finals of the trap shooting event of the 2008 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup from June 4 to 6 in Seul, Germany.

Ang shot 24, 24, and 23 in the first three rounds then scored a perfect 25 in the last two rounds to finish with a five-round total of 121 for seventh place.

The output, however, was not enough for Ang to clinch a spot in the finals. He fell just one point short of reaching the six-man final round with Marian Kovacocy of Slovenia taking the sixth spot with 122.

Michael Diamond of Australia won the gold medal with a 22 in the finals for a total 145. Bret Erickson of the United States settled for the silver medal with 144, while Alexey Alipov of Russia took the bronze with 143.

Commissioner Joey Mundo of the Philippine Sports Commission said Ang is approaching his peak with the 2008 Beijing Olympics just months away. “He stays very positive about his performance,” said Mundo, a former shooting official.

Carlos Carag could only place 82nd out of 96 shooters, mostly Beijing-bound, after scoring a 109.

Ang will next compete in the ISSF World Cup stop in Belgrade, Germany, from June 13 to 22.

Undecided on who to send

THE Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) remains undecided on who from among its top athletes will fly to Beijing as the country’s compulsory representative to the athletics competitions of the 2008 Olympics.

Patafa president Go Teng Kok said they are still evaluating the performance of their athletes and are also waiting for the results of two international competitions that are slated late this month.

“We’re not rushing things up as we want to send the best, so we’re still carefully evaluating their performance,” said Go. “Anyway, there are still weeks before the deadline for submission of entries, and rest assured we’ll meet that deadline.”

Go said results of the forthcoming Asian Grand Prix stops in Thailand and Vietnam later this month will influence the Patafa decision.

On the short list, however, are Southeast Asian Games long jump record-holder Henry Dagmil, middle-distance runner Julius Nierras and steeplechaser Rene Herrera.

Go admitted though that Dagmil is their top choice. But they are also looking at the vastly improving performance of Nierras, the 2007 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist in the men’s 400 meters.

Go said they are inclined to field reigning SEAG long jump queen Marestella Torres, although they are still awaiting the recovery of injured hurdler Sheena Atilano.

The International Association of Athletics Federations, the world governing body for the sport, requires each of its member-countries which do not qualify athletes to the Olympics to send a compulsory delegation of one male and one female athletes.

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FILIPINO Olympian Eric Ang came up one point short of the finals of the trap shooting event of the 2008 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup from June 4 to 6 in Seul, Germany.

WHEN you arrive in Iloilo via plane, right outside the airport is a queue of jeepneys and buses that ply routes of just about everywhere in this West Visayas port. If you ask any driver how to get to Barotac Nuevo, almost inevitably, he’ll ask if you’re here to watch football. He knows you’re a tourist because you don’t speak Illongo; for if you did, you wouldn’t be asking.