The future is bright for Philippine weightlifting.
Teen weightlifter Vanessa Sarno bucked all odds to finish as the Asian champion. She took the win in the women’s 71-kilogram division of the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships, Wednesday evening (Manila time) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The 17-year-old Boholano comfortably lifted 124 kg in her second attempt at the clean and jerk. That put her in front of the closest pursuer in Turkmenistan’s Gulnabat Kadyrova who just lifted 121 kg.
Kadyrova tried for 124 kg for her last lift of the night to get back the lead of a solitary kilo. The 27-year-old could not get it overhead, though, eventually settling for a 223 kg total for the overall silver and giving the Filipino the gold and the title.
Sarno, who carved a solid performance throughout the competition, ended her ascent on a high note after lifting 128 kg for a total of 229 kg. She ended up bagging both the golds in clean and jerk and in overall.
Kadyrova earlier went on top and bagged the gold with 102 kg after the snatch. Sarno, though, was not far behind with 101 kg for the silver.
Kazakhstan’s Yekaterina Bykova finished in third and the bronze with 91 kg in the snatch. The Kazakh ended with the overall bronze with 213 kg, after her silver-winning lift of 122 kg in the clean and jerk.
Kristel Macrohon, the 2019 Southeast Asian Games champion, will look to continue this spectacular run as she takes on the stage for the women’s 76 kg on Thursday at 3:55 p.m. in Tashkent.
