Vanessa Sarno will fly to Cambodia oozing with momentum after collecting three silver medals in the women’s 71-kilogram class of the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships on Tuesday at the Jinju Arena in Jinju, South Korea.
Billed as heir apparent of Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, Sarno lifted 107 kgs in snatch and 132 kgs in clean and jerk for a total lift of 239 kgs.
Chinese powerhouse Liao Guifang, a former world juniors world champion, clinched the gold medals after lifting 120 kgs in snatch and 148 kgs in clean and jerk for a total of 268 kgs.
The 19-year-old Sarno completed all three of her lifts in the snatch but faltered in her last lift in the clean and jerk, when she tried 136 kgs.
Still, her effort was enough to hold off Chinese Taipei’s Chen Wen-Huei, who lifted a total of 232 kgs after registering 101 kgs in snatch and 131 kgs in clean and jerk.
In the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan, which was held in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, Sarno won silver in the snatch, gold in the clean and jerk, and gold in the total lift.
She is also the reigning SEA Games champion and will be favored when the weightlifting competition of the 32nd biennial meet unwraps next week.
“Barring no obstacles, we now have a good chance to send three lifters to qualify already for Paris Olympics,” Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella said.
“This is the bottom line: Sarno is only 19 years old but she is already second to the Chines world record holder.”
Meanwhile, another Filipina lifter, Kristel Macrohon, placed eighth among 10 lifters with a total of 218 kgs after tallying 98 kgs in snatch and 120 kgs in clean and jerk.
Earlier, Diaz missed out on the podium in her first foray in the women’s 59-kg event after finishing fourth. Another Filipina entry in Elreen Ando also saw action but was unsuccessful in all of her three attempts of 125 kgs in clean and jerk.
Rose Jean Ramos, for her part, won three silvers in the women’s 45kg class.
