Sarno lifts to fifth place finish at Asian Championship
DUE to failure to adjust to the biting cold, Vanessa Sarno hurt her knees and managed just a fifth place finish in the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan Wednesday.
The 20-year-old wunderkind from Tagbilaran, Bohol, who is being considered as heiress to Philippine lifting queen and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo’s throne, tried to fight off the pain but managed just a total lift of 228 kilograms — 100kg from snatch and 128kg from clean and jerk — in the women’s 71kg class that was good for fifth.
It was a far cry from her personal bests 249kg total, 108kg snatch and 141kg clean and jerk she registered in the IWF World Grand Prix 2 last December in Doha, Qatar where she wound up just fifth.
North Korean Song Kuk Hyang, who topped the Doha tilt, dominated the field with a 269kg (115kg snatch, 154kg clean and jerk).
Despite the finish, Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas President Monico Puentevella said Ms. Sarno has moved to the top five in the world and should qualify to this July’s Paris Olympics. And to prevent potential injuries, Mr. Puentevella said he would ask the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to allow their lifter, should they qualify to the quadrennial games, to fly in a week or less earlier to Paris to acclimatize.
“But I’m requesting PSC to fly our lifters one week before performing for acclimatization,” he said. “From 30 degrees to minus 0 degrees affected three of our six lifters. Dapat iba ang treatment sa Olympic aspirants than ordinary athletes.”
Weightlifting, of course, has delivered the country its breakthrough Olympic gold in Tokyo courtesy of Ms. Diaz-Naranjo and could qualify as much as four lifters to Paris including Ms. Sarno, Rosegie Ramos, John Ceniza and possibly Elreen Ando. — Joey Villar