BIDDING to build on the success of Filipino bets in the last Asian weightlifting meet in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, weightlifting chief Monico Puentevella said yesterday he has set national team tryouts in his hometown of Bacolod, Negros Occidental in August for the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games.
“Doon namin kukunin ‘yong athletes for the SEA Games. If they deserve it then they go to Hanoi,” Puentevella said in the Philippine Sportswriters Association online forum.
He obviously felt jubilant over the success of the national lifters, who had their best outing in the Asian meet by bringing home two gold, six silver and three bronze medals, bannered by teen prodigy Vanessa Sarno, who bagged two gold medals and one silver in the women’s 71-kilogram division.
The Philippines finished fifth overall in the women’s division where 17 Asian countries saw action, with China coming up with a 14-11-2 harvest, followed by Taipei (6-0-0) and India
(4-0-1).
Cebuano Elreen Ando shared the spotlight with Sarno, winning two silver medals and a bronze in the 64-kilogram division.
“Modesty aside, I believe we will win more gold medals in Hanoi than in Manila,” Puentevella said, noting local campaigners garnered a gold apiece from Hidylin Diaz and Kristel Macrohon in the women’s 55-kg and 71-kg divisions of the 30th Southeast Asian Games two years.
He said that Sarno, Diaz, Macrohon and Ando, a 30th SEA Games silver medalist in the 64-kg class, would be primed to give the Vietnamese a run for their money in the 11-nation biennial meet set Nov. 21 to Dec. 2 in Hanoi.
After the Bacolod tryouts, Puentevella said the lifters would return to their respective provinces to resume their training before heading for Hanoi.
“We have seen that despite not having centralized training, majority of our lifters were able to do well in Tashkent as long as their coaches are dedicated and conscientious in monitoring their progress,” noted Puentevella. “In fact, they were able to focus more while training in their respective provinces.”
He said if it would be feasible, he also intends to conduct the National Open weightlifting championships in Cebu in December “because of its central location and accessible for our weightlifters in Mindanao and Luzon.”
