Nathaniel Padilla

He learned to use a pistol at age 9 and he was first known in the national sporting scene in 1976[1] when he became the junior champion of the rapid fire, center fire and standard pistol events at the Benito Juarez World Shooting Championships which was hosted in Mexico City.[2]

He won five gold medals, all in the rapid pistol event at the Southeast Asian Games. He won in the aforementioned event at the 1979, 1983, 1987, 1993, and 2009 editions.[3] He did not win any gold medal in the regional tournament for 16 years until he won at the rapid fire event at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Laos.[1] By 2012, Padilla has competed 17 times for the Philippines in the regional tournament.[1] He did not participate in the 1999 and 2013 Southeast Asian Games due to the non-contest of rapid fire pistol event in those two editions.[3]

By January 2010, he has won in nine Southeast Asian Shooting championships and achieved more than a dozen silver and bronze tournaments in other continental tournaments.[1]

His father was Olympic shooter Tom Ong[4] and his siblings are Carolina, Kristine, Rose, Donald, and Jeffery. He is also the general manager of Spring Cooking Oil, his family's business.[1]

Padilla is married to Paola Montelibano with whom he has three children.[1] His daughter Mica is following in his footsteps, and has joined the sport.[4]