PRE-TOURNAMENT INTRO
To every sleep-deprived Filipino, welcome to the final moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
So what the hell are we in for?
Vanessa F'N Sarno.
Yes, I know, we all think our female weightlifters have the girl boss genes of Hidilyn Diaz. With that said, Diaz is a combo of power and strategy. The way they tackled the problem that is Chinese weightlifting superstar Liao Qiuyun.
In an interview, Liao thought his team played it easy and they underestimated the power of Hidilyn. On the Pinay's side, they just went with the simple play of one-upmanship.
What the Chinese star could do, they'll just be a step better.
It paid dividends.
That said, Sarno is also a weightlifting phenom. The 20-year-old heir apparent has been a force in the Asian and South East Asian circuits, and this is her chance to prove that she is the next best thing in the world.
VANESSA SARNO | PERSONAL RECORDS |
SNATCH | 108KG (2023) |
CLEAN AND JERK | 141KG (2023) |
TOTAL | 249KG (2023) |
Anyway, I am going to watch it now.
PLAY BY PLAY
Sarno missed her first attempt.
Sarno missed her second attempt.
Sarno missed her third attempt.
It's over.
Oh no.
POST-MATCH
Again, she's 20 and this is her first major battle outside the confines of the Asian circuit. However, you can see her nerves kick in there. The coach had more action compared to her with all the slapping.
And I'm not saying that Hidilyn was hideous when she battled for achievements but you can see her smile turn into gnarl when she goes for an attempt. Even in the 2022 SEA Games, she would go onstage all dolled up, and after putting chalk, become the living embodiment of torment and destruction, and after the attempt, she'll smile at the crowd.
Sarno was nervous as hell... and I don't know how One Sports will splice content for their YouTube channel.
But then, you can also see her mindset. I know it's wrong to compare emotions but when EJ Obiena missed on his final attempt, he was salty as hell. It took Huang Bokai to make him smile but even with that, he never went to Armand Duplantis and Sam Kendricks, and even if Emmanouil Karalis is one of his buddies, EJ was probably seething when he saw the three medalists running in the track.
Let's remember that the record-chasing moment Duplantis did in Paris, EJ had the same thing in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. EJ conquered the 5.90m Asian Games record when the gold was his, but failed to reach 6.02m in all three of his attempts with the crowd cheering him on to break the record.
In an interview, Obiena was so disappointed because he was certain that he was going to win a medal. This is not arrogance. If you're the world's number two, everything else other than gold or silver is a demotion.
Even Hidilyn cried like hell and vowed payback when she lost in Beijing and London.
I know it's hard to think clearly if you're about to put 220 pounds on top of your head. But I can't blame the sleep-deprived Filipino fans for acting rudely here. Vanessa Sarno needs to have the Hidilyn nerves if she wants to level up.
Hopefully, she'll do well in her succeeding tournaments as she builds up her confidence for the Los Angeles Games. Hidilyn did not start as the girl boss we know now as she ranked low in Beijing and had a DNF in London. And while I don't want to use "pabebe" here because I know for sure this is not what she is, I think the Filipino coaches babied her which is why the Philippine weightlifting bosses need to find a foreign coach to push our athletes. Not to sound douchy but John Ceniza and Sarno were both the first eliminations. That's a red flag right there. And while Elreen Ando saved the contingent from having a disappointing finish, this is still the worst showing of the sport since Diaz's gold-winning performance.
The fact that Diaz and Ando battled each other for an Olympic slot is insane.
YEAR | EVENT | WINNERS |
2021 | 2020 TOKYO OLYMPICS | G | HIDILYN DIAZ | 55KG |
2021 | SEA GAMES | G | HIDILYN DIAZ | 55KG G | VANESSA SARNO | 71KG S | ELREEN ANDO | 64KG B | ROSEGIE RAMOS | 49KG |
2022 | ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS | NONE |
2022 | WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | G | HIDILYN DIAZ | 55KG |
2023 | ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS | S | VANESSA SARNO | 71KG S | ROSE JEAN RAMOS | 45KG |
2023 | 2022 HANGZHOU ASIAN GAMES | B | ELREEN ANDO | 64KG |
2023 | WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | NONE |
2023 | SEA GAMES | MEN'S DIVISION S | JOHN CENIZA | 61KG B | JOHN TABIQUE | 89KG WOMEN'S DIVISION G | ELREEN ANDO | 59KG G | VANESSA SARNO | 71KG S | ANGELINE COLONIA | 45KG S | LOVELY VIDAL INAN | 49KG S | ROSALINDA FAUSTINO | 55KG |
2024 | IWF WORLD CUP | NONE |
2024 | 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS | NONE |
There is something about weightlifting, especially on the women's side. Sarno, Ando, and even Hidilyn have established their reputations already. Maybe they just need to have better direction because they can't miss out on a chance to upgrade our chances in the sport, especially with Diaz still in form.