Amparo “Ampao” Acuna came close to Philippine record when she fired a total of 618.8 points in the qualification round of the women’s 10-meter rifle event in the shooting competitions of the 2023 Asian Games at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Center in Hangzhou, China.
Acuna shot rounds of 102.1, 102.9, 105.1, 103.4, 103, 101.5 to almost match the national mark of 622.2 she achieved in the Asian Championships last March. Her effort, however, wasn’t enough to clinch a seat in the final round as she finished 42nd place in the 59-shooter field, where only the top eight advanced.
Coach Julius Valdez said her performance was average at this time, adding he has yet to confirm if Acuna was able to earn ranking points she needs to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Nasa average ang score. Sana maisama sa Olympic rankings iyung result niya,” said Valdez.
Acuna was set to join Jayson Valdez in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team category.
The 26-year-old Acuna is seen as one of two female shooters with the best chance of earning qualifying points in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The other one is Franchette Quiroz, who is entered in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event. She has an Olympic ranking of 151.
Acuna is now no. 153 in the Olympic qualification rankings of the 50-meter rifle, 3-prone position, and no. 175 in the 10-meter air rifle event.
According the qualification rules for shooting, the highest-ranked shooter who has not qualified yet or whose National Olympic Committee does not have a berth in any of the 12 individual events, will obtain a direct Olympic quota place through the World Rankings.
The remaining 16 quota places are available to eligible NOCs under the Tripartite Commission Invitation to attain a maximum number of 340.
