PNSA Open fires off this Saturday

MANILA, Philippines—Pistol king Tac Padilla and rifle specialist Jason Valdez headline the 2011 Philippine National Shooting Association Open championships in three different venues in Metro Manila starting this Saturday.

Gearing up for the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November, Padilla will be defending his titles in the air pistol, rapid fire, center fire and standard pistol while Valdez seeks back-to-back wins in the air rifle and 50m rifle 3-position.

Padilla and Valdez are coming off  silver medal finishes in the recent Asean Shooting Championships in Laos.

Spread over four weekends, the  Open will be held at the PNSA Shooting Range, Marines Range and the Fort Bonifacio Range.

“We are staging this event not only to test the readiness of our athletes for the coming SEA Games but also to discover young and promising shooters,” said PNSA president Mikee Romero, whose company Harbour Centre will be the event’s major sponsor.
Events on tap on Saturday are the 25m rapid fire and 50M free pistol while the sport pistol (ladies), centerfire and 50m rifle prone are slated the following day.