MANILA, Philippines – The plane to the Paris Olympics will leave without weightlifter Rosegie Ramos.

Ramos fell short of a ticket to the glamorous French capital as she missed the top 10 cutoff in the women’s 49kg class after the International Weightlifting Federation released the final Olympic Qualification Ranking.

Based on the final ranking published on May 24, Ramos ended up at 11th place with a total lift of 191kg.

Ramos finished with an identical total lift as Dominican Republic’s Beatriz Piron, but she settled for the 11th spot as rules indicate that athletes with the same record “shall be ranked in order of which achieved the result first.”

Piron tallied 191kg in the IWF Grand Prix in Havana, Cuba, in June last year, while Ramos cleared 191kg in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, just last April.

Ramos’ final chances of reaching the Olympics hinged on the decision of Belgium’s Nina Sterckx, who needed to choose which division she wanted to compete in as she qualified for both the women’s 49kg and 59kg divisions.

Sterckx produced best lifts of 193kg in the women’s 49kg and 220kg in the women’s 59kg for a double qualification.

But according to national coach Toni Agustin, Sterckx picked the women’s 49kg category, dashing Ramos’ hopes of joining Elreen Ando (women’s 59kg), Vanessa Sarno (women’s 71kg), and John Ceniza (men’s 61kg) in Paris.

The future, though, still looks bright for Ramos despite the unfortunate turn of events.

Only 20 years old and a two-time Asian junior champion, the Zamboanga City standout will have plenty of opportunities to make the Olympics in the future.

With Tokyo Games champion Hidilyn Diaz missing the Olympics for the first time after four straight stints, expectations for a weightlifting medal fall on the capable shoulders of Ando, Sarno, and Ceniza. – Rappler.com

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