Vanessa Sarno earns 3 Asian weightlifting silvers to cap PH bid

MANILA, Philippines – Vanessa Sarno capped off the Philippines’ campaign at the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, Korea with three more silver medals at the women’s 71kg category added to the country’s war chest on Tuesday, May 9.

The 19-year-old sensation comfortably edged Vietnam’s Hong Thanh Pham Thi for the snatch silver at 107kg, while beating out Taiwan’s Wen-Huei Chen by just one kilogram for the clean and jerk medal (132kg).

Overall, Sarno – a Southeast Asian Games record holder – tallied 239kg for the total lift silver, while Chen settled for bronze at 232kg.

Everyone, however, was practically a league below Chinese phenom Guifang Liao, who cruised to a golden run with a new world record 120kg in snatch, 148kg in clean and jerk, and 268kg total – also a new world record.

The Philippines’ other 71kg bet Kristel Macrohon, meanwhile, placed eighth overall and in snatch, and ninth in clean and jerk.

All in all, the Philippines earned six medals – three silvers apiece from Sarno and Rose Jean Ramos (women’s 45kg) – in the week-long tournament which will run for four more days.

Other top Filipino contenders also competed in the continental tournament, led by Olympic 55kg champion Hidilyn Diaz, who placed fourth overall in her first foray at the 59kg level since the abolition of her original weight class ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Elreen Ando, tabbed as Diaz’s heir apparent, also moved down to 59kg from 64kg, but was unable to clear her clean and jerk attempts and compete for the total medal.

John Ceniza, Rosegie Ramos, and Lovely Inan rounded out the Philippine contingent as Group B participants.

Ceniza topped the men’s 61kg group and placed fifth overall alongside favored Group A standouts, while Ramos and Inan delivered mixed results at the women’s 49kg category. – Rappler.com