TRINKLED

Eric Ang: Laoags pride

Laoag City now has another reason to be proud of aside from Fort Ilocandia.

And why not? This side of northwest Luzon is now home to an Olympian -- 37-year-old trap shooter Eric Ang.

Ang earned his ticket to the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a wildcard entry.

His performance in the Kuwait Asian Championships last year, where he missed the quota by a single point gave weight to the granting of the wild card slot, said Commissioner Joey Mundo of the Philippine Sports Commission as he announced Ang's entry in April.

That month, Ang came from a successful stint in the pre-Olympics shooting championships in Beijing. He finished 24th out of 94 of the worlds best trap shooters.

Out of 92 shooters he was 24th, and out of the top 33 hes the only one from Southeast Asia. He scored 113 points, said Mundo.

After Beijing, Ang placed seventh in the Trap Shooting World Cup in Germany in June.

The spot, however, was the highest finish for an Asian and it also proved that there was nothing wild about his aim. Actually, he is right on target.

Started young

Ang's fascination with guns started at the age of seven. While other children were busy with their toy soldiers and cars, Ang's father gave him his first shotgun.

He said that the love for firearms bloomed and there was even a time that he slept with his gun beside him.

Ang started competing in practical shooting competitions at the age of 18. He then earned a gold and a bronze in the 1993 London World Shoot Festival.

In 1996, Ang shifted sights to trap shooting as he dreamed of making it to the Olympics one day.

Lucky charm

Ang is the lone trap shooter in Laoag. He has no coach to guide him. He trains and shoots by himself.

Trap shooting is an expensive sport.

Ang's customized DT-10 Trident Beretta shotgun alone costs $8,000.

A firm believer in lucky charms, Ang loves to wear his old shooting vest that sports an embroidered Philippine instead of Philippines.

He said he does not like to use any other vest that his old faithful. And despite the fading of its once-rich colors, he said that it is the most comfortable vest he has ever had.

He hopes that Beijing officials will let him wear his favorite vest to the competition even if it has Philippines spelled wrong.