Will it be third time’s the charm for trap shooter Hagen Topacio when the 2018 Asian Games shooting championships fires off?
“The first time when I competed (in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games) I was leading after four rounds then faded, and in Incheon four years ago, I came down with dengue,” recalled Topacio of his forgettable outings in his previous appearances in the continental sports showcase.
In his third outing, the shooter buckled down for serious training and trimmed down by at least 12 kilos to improve his balance and coordination.
“I have been practicing three to four times a week and doing some serious weight training so I can shoot better,” the 28-year-old former UP judoka shared.
“Hopefully things will be a different this time.”
Although wont to say it, the athlete is also seeking redemption after his bid to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games was crushed when the International Sports Shooting Federation decided to nullify the results of the 2015 Asian shooting championships held in Kuwait.
Topacio shot a personal best score of 122 in the meet to bag the silver medal and earn a ticket to the Rio Games, only to see his Olympic dream dashed when the ISSF voided the outcome after Kuwait barred the entry of an Israeli technical official from the competition, in a violation of the world shooting body’s rules.
He declined to discuss about his medal prospects, preferring to let his performance to do the talking here after the two-day event.
Topacio finished in third to end Day 1 of the competition, Sunday.
Also seeing action on Monday are rifle shooters Jayson Valdez and Amparo Acuna, a 2017 Malaysia Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist, in the men’s and women’s air rifle events, respectively.
