By J. Jala | 10:37 PM May 21, 2022
Vanessa Sarno delivered the Philippine weightlifting team’s second gold medal on Saturday with record-breaking lifts in the women’s 71-kilogram category of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Sarno, who hails from Tagbilaran City, booked record lifts of 104kg in the snatch, 135kgs in the clean and jerk, and a new Games record total of 239kgs according to Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) officials.
“Sobrang saya talaga hindi ko akalain mag-gogold ako kasi first time ko mag SEA Games po,” said Sarno after the event.
Before the SEA Games, Sarno’s most recent international stint was the World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last year where she placed fifth in her weight category. Prior to that, she won a gold medal in the same weight division at the Asian Weightlifting Championships which was also held in Uzbekistan.
The Philippine Sports Commission said
Sarno, also an Asian Weightlifting champion in 2020, was tagged as the heir apparent to Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
