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Ang finishes last, vows return |
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Written by Staff
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Monday, 11 August 2008 03:37 |
The Olympic pressure was just too much for Filipino trap shooter Eric Ang, who finished dead last on his first Olympic appearance at the close of the elimination round Sunday at the Beijing Olympic Shooting Range CFT here.
Unable to sleep the previous night, Ang just went through the motion of completing the last two rounds under the rain Sunday, knowing even perfect scores would not carry him to the six-man finals of the men’s trap shooting competition.
“Hilong hilo pa rin ako pagkatapos ng event (I was still too dizzy after the event),” said an expressionless Ang, unable to compose himself after the completion of the five-round qualification.
He scored 21-20 in the last two rounds for 106 birds, good for last among 35 participants in the event where the world’s best marksmen again shot to near perfection under a steady downpour at the open air shooting range near the national stadium.
Singapore’s Ling Wung Yew hit 110, underscoring his bid for the 2009 SEA Games gold medal last won by Ang in the 2003 Vietnam Games.
Ironically, the best score after the qualification round was 121, the same score Ang posted in the World Cup in Germany last year against the very same shooters now competing in the Olympics.
Akexety Alipov of Russia, whom he battled in a playoff in the World Cup , and David Kostelecky of Czechoslovakia scored 121 of a maximum 125 birds to advance to the final along with Italians Giovanni Pellielo and Erminio Frasca, Australian Michael Diamond (120) and Croatian Josip Glasnovic (120), who edged Karsten Bindrich of Germany in the tiebreak for the sixth slot.
“Pressure in the Olympics is different,” said Ang. “You have to prepare long enough (to overcome it).”
Ang gave up hope after the third round Saturday when he shot 65 birds. Even if he shot a perfect 25-25, Sunday, he would still be six shots short of his goal of 121.
The morning rains prevented perfect scoring even for the more seasoned Olympians. Alipov, who equaled the Olympic record of 124 in winning the gold in 2004, fell three short of his target but the feat kept him on course for a repeat as the scores in the eliminations and the 25-bird finals count in the final tally.
“Actually, this is the fourth or fifth Olympics for at least 75 percent of the competitors,” he said. “The Olympics is really different. I lack the experience. The others are used to pressure.”
Shooting president Art Macapagal, a veteran of two Olympics, said shooting is not just a technical event.
“Shooting is a mental, psychological game,” said Macapagal in explaining the performance of Ang,
“If you miss a shot you’ll get tense; if you make good, you also will get tense,” he said.
“What I need is two to three-year preparation for the Olympics,” said Ang, a 37-year-old businessman who trains in his own shooting range in Laoag.
“I would like to qualify again. Next time I’ll be ready,” he said.
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