Sarno’s battle for survival

MANILA, Philippines — There’s a heavy load on the shoulders of 20-year-old Paris Olympian Vanessa Sarno, one of three weightlifters on the Philippine team at the Paris Games. It’s not only the challenge of competing for the country but also the responsibility of caring for her mother, sister and two brothers. Sarno was 15 when her parents separated and she became the family breadwinner, turning to weightlifting as a source of livelihood.

“I’m doing this for my mother, who was a fish vendor, and my brothers and sister whom I’m putting through school,” said Sarno in Filipino. “I never want my mother to work again. This is survival for me. Ate Hidilyn (Diaz) is my inspiration. She told me to always keep in mind why I’m working so hard for my family, to stay focused and strong to live my Olympic dream. I’ve finished high school and now, I’m ready to face the world.”

Sarno’s parents Christopher and Emelita split up in 2018 and Sarno, the second of four children, never expected life to be so difficult entering her late teens without the guidance of a father. She was nine when a neighborhood coach Nicolas Jaluag introduced her to weightlifting for fun. Jaluag runs a fitness gym about a 10-minute walk from where the Sarnos live in Dauis, Bohol, across the bridge and saw her potential at an early age. Sarno trained diligently and went on to bag the gold medal at the 2014 Batang Pinoy in the 32kg division. She then joined the national pool and quickly made her mark as a standout in international youth meets. At the 2023 Asian Youth and Junior Championships in India, she captured three gold medals despite a four-day ICU hospital stay just before the competitions began.

Sarno said she’s lucky to belong to a generation that will seize the moment to get ahead in life. “We’re driven,” she said. “We don’t feel pressure. If you love what you’re doing, you’ll do it, no matter what. If you want something, you’ll go and get it. We’re not afraid of struggling, not afraid of failing. In the past, if you fail, you take another course of action. Now, if you fail, you get up, try harder until you succeed. Self-discipline is what I consider to be the most important factor. I owe a lot to my coaches, my teammates, Ate Hidilyn, our national federation president Sir Monico Puentevella, PSC and POC. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Sarno is tied at No. 5 with Ecuador’s Angie Palacios in the 71kg women’s International Weightlifting Federation rankings. She will compete with 11 other Olympians at the Paris Expo-Porte de Versailles on Aug. 9. Sarno holds the national marks in snatch (108kg), clean and jerk (141kg) and total (249kg). The world records are 121kg in snatch, 154kg in clean and jerk and 273kg in total. Among the three world record holders, only Palacios in snatch is entered in Sarno’s weight class.