MANILA, Philippines — Due to failure to adjust to the biting cold, Vanessa Sarno hurt her knees and settled for 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 in snatch and 128kg in clean and jerk – in the women’s 71kg class.
It was a far cry from her personal bests 249kg total, 108kg snatch and 141kg clean and jerk she registered in a fifth-place finish in the IWF World Grand Prix 2 last December in Doha, Qatar.
North Korean Song Kuk Hyang, who topped the Doha tilt, dominated the field with a 269kg (115kg snatch, 154kg clean and jerk).
Despite this, Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella said Sarno moved to the top five in the world and should qualify to the Paris Olympics this July.
To prevent potential injuries, Puentevella said he would request the Philippine Sports Commission to allow Olympics-qualified weightlifters to fly early to Paris.
“I’m requesting PSC to fly our lifters one week before performing for acclimatization,” Puentevella said. “From 30 degrees to minus 0 degree affected three of our six lifters. Dapat iba ang treatment sa Olympic aspirants than ordinary athletes.”
Weightlifting, of course, has delivered the country’s breakthrough Olympic gold in Tokyo courtesy of Diaz-Naranjo and could qualify as much as four lifters to Paris including Sarno, Rosegie Ramos, John Ceniza and possibly Elreen Ando.