VANESSA Sarno is determined to lift over 249 kilograms in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup and hopes it will be good for a ticket to the Paris Olympics.
The Philippine weightlifting team leaves on Friday for Thailand, where their sixth and final Olympic qualifying tournament will be held starting on April 7.
The 20-year-old two-time SEA Games gold winner in +71 kgs women’s division is excited to compete in the qualifiers, vowing to give her all.
“We’ll leave everything there in Thailand as we’ll do our best to reach the Paris Olympics. And from there, let’s see. What’s important for now is to secure our slot in Paris,” Sarno said. “I’m working on increasing my lift, too, because I know the competition in Thailand will be difficult.”
In the Qatar World IWF Grand Prix last December in Doha, a 249-kg total lift put Sarno in fifth spot in the +71 kgs women’s division.
“That’s my goal to surpass it, but what’s important for now is to qualify,” Sarno said.
So far, the weightlifters ahead of Sarno are China’s Liao Guifang (273 kgs), American Olivia Reeves (262), Ecuadorian Angie Palacios (261), and Loredana Toma of Romania (256), who are expected to compete in Thailand.
Fahmi Said of Egypt trails Sarno with 246 kgs followed by Colombia’s Mari Sanchez at seventh with 244 kgs.
Rosegie Ramos and Lovely Inan open the Philippines’ campaign at the Phuket Rajabhat University on April 8 in the women’s -49 kgs class, while John Febuar Ceniza will compete the next day in the men’s +61 kgs category.
Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo and Tokyo Olympian Erleen Ann Ando are entered in the women’s-59 kgs class, but only weightlifter per country is allowed in each weight class in the Paris Games.
Also seeing action in Sarno’s division is Kristel Macrohon on the final day of the competitions.