By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Weightlifter Angeline Colonia is just turning 17 next week, so she’s fully confident that her star will continue to shine.
Her silver-medal finish in women’s 45kg in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games at the National Olympic Stadium here Saturday, May 13, was a good indication that she has great future ahead.
After all she learned the rudiments of the sport only at the start of the pandemic a few years back.
“Wala po kasi akong ginagawa sa bahay non, school lang. Kaya naisipan ko ring subukan,” said Colonia.
While this was Colonia’s international debut, her rival, Zin May Oo of Myanmar, was already a grizzled veteran, having competed in the 2014 Youth Olympics.
Colonia hoisted 68 kilos in snatch and 80 kilos in clean & jerk to finish with 148 kilos against Oo’s 161 total.
She also wanted to follow the footsteps of her older brother, Nestor, who won bronze in the world championships in 2015 and competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In fact, Angeline said she gets a lot of tips from her brother during her training for the biennial meet.
Last year, the Zamboanga native made her presence felt in the international scene after breaking world and Asian youth standard records in the women’s 40kg at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Angeline said she is looking forward to competing in more tournaments.
