Amparo “Ampao” Acuña finally returned to the podium after a two-year wait — and she did it in record-breaking fashion, capping her silver medal feat with a bronze finish in the 7th Southeast Asia Shooting Championships in Bangkok.
The 28-year-old national shooter bagged two medals, capturing a silver in the women’s 50-meter rifle prone and a bronze in the women’s 50-meter rifle 3-position team event.
“It’s been a while since I last won a medal,” said Acuna, who last reached the podium in 2023. “It feels good to finally get back.”
Acuna’s silver medal performance was highlighted by a new Philippine record in the prone position event, tallying 617.3 points—just two points shy of the gold. She fell narrowly behind Thailand’s Plengsaengthong Ratchadaporn, who took the top spot with 619.1, while Indonesia’s Kusumawardani Diaz settled for bronze at 614.
“I was a bit frustrated because the scores were so close. I almost got the gold but had four nines. If I had two more inner tens, I could’ve won it,” Acuna admitted.
Her impressive showing came on the heels of a training stint in Germany earlier this year, which she credited for sharpening her focus and form.
Acuna also led the Philippine women’s 3-position rifle team — composed of Lovelyn Tan and Denise Basila — to a bronze finish with a combined score of 1661. Indonesia, led by Diaz, ruled the event with 1719, while Vietnam placed second with 1707.
These results serve as a confidence boost for Acuna and the national squad as they gear up for the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in December.
“This gets us locked in as we prepare for the SEA Games,” said Acuna, who competes under the Atletang Ayala program.
The Philippines capped the Bangkok meet with three medals, as Carlos Deniel Valdez contributed another silver in the men’s 50-meter pistol event.
Acuna’s last podium finish came in 2023 at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Shooting Cup in Jakarta, where she and Tokyo Olympian Jayson Valdez secured a bronze in the mixed 10-meter air rifle event.
With her return to form, Acuna is once again proving she remains one of the country’s most reliable sharpshooters — and a strong medal hopeful for the upcoming SEA Games.
