MANILA – Southeast Asian Games champion Vanessa Sarno of Bohol province will lead the Philippine campaign at the 2023 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in New Delhi, India from July 28 to August 5.
Sarno, winner of the 71kg gold medal in Vietnam (2022) and Cambodia (2023), will see action in the Junior division along with Rosegie Ramos and Lovely Inan (W49kg) and Rose Jean Ramos (W45kg).
Competing in the Youth division are Angeline Colonia (W45kg), Rosalinda Faustino (W55kg), Prince Keil delos Santos and Eron Borres (M49kg), Christian Rodriguez (M67kg), and newcomers Alexsandra Diaz (W40kg) and Jhodie Peralta (W49kg).
Albert Ian de los Santos (M61kg) will compete in the Youth and Junior divisions.
The Youth division is for athletes 13 years to 17 years old while the Junior division is for 15 years to 20 years old.
The athletes will be accompanied by coaches Patrick Lee, Roberto Colonia, Joe Patrick Diaz, Allen Jayfrus Diaz, and Kelly Kay Rojas.
Last year, the Philippine team bagged 15 medals at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Ramos, who fought in both Youth and Junior divisions, secured four gold, one silver, and one bronze medals, while Sarno, Faustino, and Rosegie Ramos got three gold medals each.
The other medalists were Colonia (2 golds, 1 silver) and Prince Keil delos Santos (2 bronzes).
Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) president Monico Puentevella is optimistic that the team will bring home gold medals.
Prince Keil delos Santos, Borres, and Zamboangueños Colonia, Faustino, and Albert Ian delos Santos delivered gold medals at the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Youth World Championships in Durres, Albania.
Prince delos Santos of Angono, Rizal province topped the snatch (92kgs) and despite finishing second to Borres in the clean and jerk (113kgs), had the best total of 205kgs.
Borres, a product of Cebu City’s grassroots program, was impressive in his first international tournament.
He submitted the second-best total (201kgs) after finishing third in snatch (87kgs) and first in clean and jerk (114kgs).
The 5-foot-8 Albert Ian delos Santos, son of former national lifters Alvin and Diwa, dominated the clean and jerk (149kgs) and total (259kgs).
Colonia won the snatch (72kgs) and was second in total (155kgs) while Faustino took the gold medal in total (182kg) and the silver medal in clean and jerk (100kgs).
Last month, Sarno and Rose Jean Ramos pocketed three silver medals each at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, South Korea.
Ramos, also from Zamboanga, won the World Youth Weightlifting Championships in 2021 and 2022. (PNA)