By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Uprising weightlifting star Vanessa Sarno is ready for an opportunity of a lifetime after booking a spot in the Paris Olympics confirmed on April 7, 2024.
The 20-year-old Filipina athlete achieved her Paris Olympics seat after pulling off a convincing performance during the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup held in Phuket, Thailand.
Sarno ended the prestigious weightlifting tournament with a fifth-place finish after tallying a total of 245kg score after the snatch and the clean and jerk.
In the snatch, Sarno lifted a total of 110kg and followed it up with a 135kg score in the clean and jerk. To nab her entry in Paris, she had to include herself in the top 10 of the IWF which she did in an impressive fashion.
Previously, Sarno turned heads during the Asian Weightlifting Youth and Junior Championships held in New Dehli, India.
Sarno was in the zone once again after clinching the championship title in the women’s junior 71-kg category while also topping the snatch and the clean and jerk.
The 19-year-old weightlifting superstar lifted a total of 216kg to claim the gold medal and added another prestigious title under her belt.
Sarno kicked off her title bid with a 95kg score in the snatch and capped off her domination in India with a 121-kg tally in the clean and jerk.
Before kicking off her Olympic qualification bid, Sarno first flaunted her skill set during the SEA Games and took home the gold medal in her weightlifting category.
Sarno steamrolled her way to the championship title and recorded one of the best individual weightlifting performances in the history of the SEA Games after lifting a total of 225 kg.
It was a big disparity to Thipwara Chontavin of Thailand who won the silver medal after scoring a total of 208 kg.
As of now, the Philippine Weightlifting national team has three entries to the Olympics: Sarno, John Ceniza, and Elreen Ando.
