PHNOM PENH—Elreen Ann Ando powered herself to three records and into the top of the podium of women’s weightlifting action in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games on Sunday at the National Olympic Stadium.
It was the first SEA Games gold medal for the Tokyo Olympian Ando.
“It’s a matter of redeeming myself after all those failures and heartaches especially in the last Asian championships when I did not finish my clean and jerk,” the 24-year-old Cebuano told BusinessMirror on Sunday. “I focused on my training and came to my senses again.”
Ando was well-prepared for the 59-kg event to bag the country’s first weightlifting gold medal after Angeline Colonia, Lovely Inan and John Febuar Ceniza settled for silver medals Saturday.
She lifted games records of 98 kgs in snatch, 118 kgs in clean and jerk and 216 kgs total lift to erase the previous standards of 96 kgs (snatch), 115 kgs (clean and jerk) and 210 kgs (total) was established by Vietnam’s Hoang Thi Duyen set last year in Hanoi.
Thailand’s Suratwadee Yodsarn settled for silver (91-115-206) and Duyen only placed third (93-112-205) to see her reign that started in 2019 come to an abrupt end.
Ando’s feat was a big improvement from the silver medals she got in the 2019 and 2022 games.
She said that the death of father Lupito to liver complications inspired her to dream big.
“It’s really depressing but what can I do? So I am really thankful to my coaches for not giving up on me,” Ando said. “I will train smarter and harder to achieve my dream of reaching the Paris Olympics next year.”
Four weightlifting silvers were contributed to the country’s coffers—Angeline Colonia (women’s 45 kgs), Lovely Inan (women’s 49 kgs), John Febuar Ceniza (men’s 61 kgs) and Rosalinda Faustino (women’s 55 kgs).
“It is the start of Philippines’ rise in weightlifting,” coach Edmund Cardano said.
Vanessa Sarno, the reigning women’s 71 kgs champion, will compete on Monday and Kristel Macrohon on Tuesday in women’s +71 kgs event.
Image credits: Roy Domingo