AFTER the country’s successful campaign in the last Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, weightlifting chief Monico Puentevella is confident he has found a couple of promising medal potentials for the 2024 Paris and 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
“I am thinking forward now because I have no other goal but the Olympics. I am looking forward to giving our country possibly another gold medal in Paris,” Puentevella said after the youthful Filipino campaigners garnered 15 gold, two silver and three bronze medals in the weeklong meet in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Vanessa Sarno of Bohol capped the country’s fruitful outing last Saturday by sweeping the junior women’s 71-kilogram division, hoisting 90, 130, and 230 kilograms in the snatch, clean-and-jerk and combined lifts, respectively.
Puentevella, the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president, credited the fruitful stint to the support of the Philippine Sports Commission, the inspiration of Tokyo Olympic Games gold medalist Hidylin Diaz, and the growing competence and abilities of national coaches.
“Our national coaches may be considered ‘provincianos’ but they now believe they are among the best in the world. They know that they can produce world champions now,” Puentevella noted.
One sterling example is Zamboanga City coach Allen Diaz, Hidylin’s relative, whose wards — Angeline Colonia, Rosegie Ramos, Rose Jean Ramos and Rosalinda Faustino — combined for a whopping 12 golds, two silvers and one bronze medal.
Colonia stood out, setting new Asian and world records in the junior 40-kg weight class with a 62-kg lift in the snatch.
“The international exposure that our lifters are getting is giving them great motivation to excel,” pointed out Puentevella, a former Asian Weightlifting Federation president who is optimistic weightlifting could still get a nod in the Los Angeles Olympics.
“Weightlifting is a measurable sport and kilos don’t lie. In all due respect to everybody, we have less corruption in weightlifting and the International Olympic Committee is fixing that,” he said.
He explained that weightlifting competitions involve three referees and five jury members to determine a legitimate lift “so there are eight people watching so it’s nearly impossible to cheat.
“The Paris and Los Angeles Olympics are our two main targets while we are still alive. For the glory of God, our weightlifters may deliver once again,” Puentevella said.
