At last, an athlete with conviction, Many will probably laugh at the claim of shooter Eric Ang that he will win the country’s first Olympic gold medal in the Beijing Games.

Speaking at a sports forum yesterday, Ang surprised his listeners by his declaration, something no Filipino athlete has ever had the courage to say.

Ang’s confidence stemmed from his performance in the recent World Cup competition in Suhl, Germany where he placed seventh.

So what made him think he can be a gold medalist in Beijing when he could not even win bronze in Germany?

“Sa tingin ko I can do it (win the gold medal). Parang na-boost kasi yung confidence ko dun,” said Ang, who competed in the men’s trap event last June 8.

“Right now, I felt like I’ve competed with the best of the world kasi halos mga Olympic gold medalist ang mga nakalaban ko dun,” said Ang.

In placing seventh, the 37-year-old Ang was only two points behind eventual champion Michael Diamond of Australia.

Ang actually had the chance to claim the sixth spot when he tied five others in sixth place with identical 121’s.

But he was unlucky in the shoot-off.

After five birds in the qualifications round, four shooters misfired, leaving Ang and Athens Olympic gold medalist Alexey Alipov of Russia in a torrid duel.

It was a neck-and-neck battle from the start but Ang missed the 18th bird, allowing Alipov to advance.

“Nagulat ako sa perfomance ko na iyon kasi first time ko yun. But despite the loss alam ko this is one of my best performances,” said Ang, who was the only Asian to make it into the top 16 of the prestigious event.

Ang, who made it to the Olympics via a wild card slot, also shattered his own Philippine record with his 121 effort. His previous best was 119, which he set in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur during the Asian Clay Championships in 2002.