Vanessa Sarno hopes to continue PH medal streak in Olympic weightlifting

MANILA, Philippines – The last Filipino weightlifter to compete in the Paris Games, Vanessa Sarno hopes to deliver as the Philippines eyes a medal in the sport for a third straight Olympics.

Sarno looks to follow in the footsteps of weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz when she competes in the women’s 71kg division at the South Paris Arena on Friday, August 9 (Saturday, August 10, Manila time).

With John Ceniza incurring a DNF (did not finish) in the men’s 61kg class and Elreen Ando placing sixth in the women’s 59kg category, Sarno assumes the task of following up on the medals Diaz won in the last two editions.

Diaz bagged silver in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games then captured the Philippines’ historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

A medal is not a long shot for Sarno, who is a former Asian titlist and two-time champion in the Southeast Asian Games.

The pride of Tagbilaran, Bohol, Sarno finished fourth in the Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) after clearing a total of 249kg in the IWF Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar, in December.

Sarno hopes to exceed that mark in the Olympics after submitting an entry total of 250kg as she aims to crack the podium against medal favorites Olivia Reeves of the USA, Angie Palacios of Ecuador, and Loredana Toma of Romania.

Reeves topped the OQR with a 268kg total, followed by Palacios (261kg) and Toma (256kg).

Seeking to become the first American to win an Olympic weightlifting gold in 24 years, Reeves listed an entry total of 268kg, while Toma has the same entry total of 250kg as Sarno.

Reigning world champion Liao Guifang is out of the picture after she failed to get selected by China for its Olympic team, with countries permitted to enter only a maximum of three weightlifters per gender.

The 71kg division is making its Olympic debut as organizers trimmed the 14 weight classes in Tokyo to just 10 categories – five each for men and women – in Paris. – Rappler.com