Four Filipino weightlifters have secured their spots for the Paris Olympics, boosting the country's hopes in the biennial meet later this year.
Elreen Ann Ando, John Febuar Ceniza, and Rosegie Ramos earned the Paris tickets, outclassing their competitors in their respective weight categories at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
Taking down a legend
Ando, who had won two silver medals at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan, defeated fellow countryman Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, who had finished eleventh with 222 (99-123), by registering 228 kg (100 kg in snatch and 128 kg in clean and jerk).
After stunning Diaz, Ando is now ranked eighth in the world, earning her a spot in the Paris games. Through the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking competitions, from August 1, 2022 to April 28, 2024, only the top 10 lifters will receive a quota spot for their nation in the Olympics.
In Tokyo in 2021, Diaz topped the now-defunct 55-kilogram category, becoming the nation's first Olympic champion.
“I love this sport. I don’t want to stop. But what I have to do now is take a good rest and think about the priorities in my life," Diaz was quoted on the IWF website. "Today wasn’t my day, Paris was not to be."
Other Olympic-bound athletes
Rosegie Ramos of Zamboanga City, fellow Cebuano John Febuar Ceniza, and Vanessa Sarno also qualified for Paris, bringing the Pinoy delegates in the sport to four.
Ceniza lifted 300 kg in total, 132 kg in the snatch, and 168 kg in the clean and jerk, to place fourth in the men's 61 kg division and seal his ticket to Paris.
Ceniza is the second weightlifter to qualify, following Rosegie Ramos, 20, who made the Olympic lift with a strong showing in the women's 49kg Group B competition. Rising to the top of his group, Ramos was able to keep her ranking in the Top 10 globally with a lift of 190 kg during the World Cup.
Ramos, a 20-year-old Zamboanga native, is Hidilyn Diaz's cousin.
Additionally, Filipina weightlifter Vanessa Sarno qualified for the Olympics in the women's 71kg division after finishing fifth in the tournament, serving as the final qualifying event for the Paris Games.
Sarno, 20, broke her own 110 kg national record in the snatch and lifted a total of 245 kg in the clean and jerk.
Sarno was able to officially register for the Games since she finished in the top 10 of the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR).
