WHILE the Filipinas had their big night Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, Pinay teen weightlifter Angeline Colonia was also setting an individual sports milestone at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Colonia, 15, the younger sister of 2016 Rio Olympian Nestor Colonia, bagged two gold medals and a silver medal in dominating the girls 40kg division, booking an Asian and world records in the youth division with her 62-kilo lift in the difficult snatch event.
According to weightlifting chief Monico Puentevella, the Zamboanga City pride broke the three-year-old world and Asian marks of 61 kilos in the event while adding another mint in the total lift (134) and a silver in the clean-and-jerk (72).
Fellow lifter and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Hidylin Diaz acknowledged Colonia’s accomplishment proudly on Facebook yesterday, saying: “Angeline Colonia, 15 years old.
She snatched 62 kgs, she won 2 gold in Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship in the 40 kgs category. It was a youth world record! Wow! Siya ay taga Pasobolong, Zamboanga at isang Filipina.”
Colonia was edged in the clean-and-jerk by Vietnam’s Duong Thi Kem Yen, who topped the event with a hoist of 73 kilos.
“This is another one of our promising young weightlifters from Zamboanga City whom we are very proud of. Expect more to come,” said Puentevella, adding Vanessa Sarno and world youth champion Rose Jean Ramos are also vying in the competition in the coming days.
