VETERAN shooter Amparo Acuna broke two national records on the first leg of the national tryouts for the coming Southeast Asian Games at the Philippine Marine Shooting Range in Taguig City.
The 28-year-old Acuna, who spent two weeks at a camp in Dortmund, Germany, scored her highest in three years, hitting a 623.8 in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event.
This eclipsed the 622.2 she made during the 2022 Asian Championships in Jakarta.
In the women’s 50-meter, 3-position event, Acuna tallied a 584, which was better than the 583 she set on her 26th birthday in June 2023 during the final leg of the Asian Games Qualifying season.
“Marami pong naayos sa performance ko. Dahil po ito sa pinuntahan kong training camp sa Germany,” said Acuna, who went to Germany with another ace shooter Franchette Quiroz.
Acuna and Quiroz attended the camp of Heinz Reinkemeier and Gaby Buhlmann, who trains shooters at their international rifle school in Dortmund.
Acuna’s efforts allowed her to qualify for the coming Asian Championships in Kazakhstan.
Support from the Philippine Sports Commission and the Atletang Ayala program, which former national swimmer Jasmine Alkhaldi runs, made it possible for Acuna and Quiroz to make the trip.
Last year, Acuna and Quiroz signed up to be among the athlete scholars of the Atletang Ayala.
“Kasabay namin ang mga taga India. Sila rin po (Reinemeier and Buhlmann) ang nagde-develop ng mga rifle shooters ng India ngayon kaya sobrang gumaling po ang India. Madami na din pong silang mga Olympian and world champion na nadevelop,” said Acuna.
