Rising star Vanessa Sarno can be the second weightlifter from the Philippines to book a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Following her double gold and silver medal haul in the 71kg event of the 2021 Asian Championships, Samahang Weighlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) president Monico Puentevella said that the 17-year-old sensation may be able to clinch a wild card entry to the upcoming quadrennial meet.

“After the other continental events, they will compute the evaluation in the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation), they’ll get lucky,” said Puentevella on Tuesday, April 27 in the weekly Philippine Sportswriter’s Association forum.

Other young weightlifters who are vying for wild card slots are Kristel Macrohon and Elreen Ando.

Dubbed by Puentevella as “Hidilyn Diaz’ heir,” Sarno is also set to be Philippine weightlifting’s prime bet in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But before focusing on another quadrennial meet, the national weightlifting team will hold a tryout in Bacolod City in order to form its Southeast Asian (SEA) Games team.

2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Diaz officially qualified for Tokyo 2020 after completing 6 qualifying events while maintaining a rank within the top 8 weightlifters in the women’s 55kg event. – Rappler.com