MANILA – Bohol’s Vanessa Sarno bagged three medals including two golds in the Asian Weightlifting Championship, Wednesday evening, at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
She earned her first gold medal in the overall women’s 71-kilogram (kg) division with 229 (kg) over Turkmenistan’s Gulnabat Kadyrova and Kazakhstan’s Yekaterina Bykova.
She had her second gold in the clean and jerk with a 128 kg lift while settling for silver in the snatch with a 101 kg lift.
The feat was another accomplishment for Sano, who swept three gold medals in November’s World Youth Championship. However, this will not give her a ticket to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“She’s new, first Asian for her. World junior champion, Asian junior champion, and now Asian champion. Successor to Hidilyn (Diaz),” said Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella.
Meanwhile, Elreen Ando seized a silver medal in the women’s 64 kg division with a 213 kg lift behind the 228 kg of gold medal winner Chen Wen Huei. Her 119 kg in the clean and jerk gave her a silver medal. She also had bronze in the snatch with 94 kg lift.
On the other hand, Margaret Colonia ranked seventh in the women’s 59 kg division with 176 points in the total lifts.
The country has a total of five silvers and a bronze in the Asian weightlifting stint. Hidilyn Diaz placed fourth in the women’s 55 kg division and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics while Mary Flor Diaz contributed three other silver medals./PN
