By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Vanessa Sarno proved why she’s being hailed as Philippine weightlifting’s next big thing after clinching three gold medals in the 2023 Asian Youth and Junior Championships in New Delhi, India on Wednesday, Aug. 2.
The 19-year-old Asian and Southeast Asian Games champion stamped her class in the women’s youth 71kg event with a total lift of 216 kilos.
That came after also claiming the gold medals in snatch on 95 kilos, and clean and jerk on 121 kilos.
It was an accomplishment of sorts as far as Sarno and her coaches are concerned since the Bohol native came straight from the hospital after being downed due to fever.
The national record holder opened her campaign with a 95-kg lift on her first try in snatch before failing her second attempt at 97 kilos.
She passed on her third attempt to reserve her energy in clean and jerk, where she successfully lifted 121 kilos on her third and last try.
Thailand’s Phattharathida Wongsing, who won in the 2023 Youth World Weightlifting Championships in Durres, Albania last March, finished behind Sarno with three silvers in snatch (92 kilos), clean and jerk (120) and total (212).
Uzbekistan’s Sevinchoy Komilova wound up with bronzes in snatch (88), clean and jerk (110) and total (198).
With Sarno’s victories, the PH hiked its medal haul to19 gold, 10 silver and four bronze medals.
She also joined fellow medalists Rose Jean and Rosegie Ramos, Jhodie Peralta, Albert Delos Santos, Rosalinda Faustino, Angeline Colonia, Prince Keil Delos Santos, Eron Borres, and Alexsandra Ann Diaz, the niece of Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo.
