By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Vanessa Sarno shattered her own Philippine record after topping Group B in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand on Sunday, April 7.
The 20-year-old Asian champion lifted 110 kilograms in snatch to eclipse her previous mark of 108kg set at the IWF World Cup in Doha, Qatar last year in the women’s 71kg division.
She lifted a total of 245kg after posting 135kg in clean & jerk to bolster her 2024 Paris Olympics qualifications.
Pending the Group A results being held at press time, Sarno is close to clinching an Olympic berth as her best performance of 249kg in Doha puts her at No. 5 in the qualification rankings.
Only the Top 10 lifters will earn tickets to Paris.
The PH weightlifting team, so far, has two Olympic qualifiers in Elreen Ando in the women’s 59kg and John Febuar Ceniza in the men’s 61kg.
Meanwhile, Cuba’s Feria Mirabal finished second behind Sarno with 238kg, followed by Russian Siuzanna Valdokzka with 237kg.
Another Filipino bet in Kristel Macrohon also aimed at earning a qualifying berth to Paris but failed as she finished behind Sarno and came in seventh overall with 233kg.
