Gold medals come aplenty in Uzbek worlds

AN appetite for gold medals has become insatiable for young Filipino weightlifters after two more up-and-coming stars from Zamboanga City—rosalinda Faustino and Rosegie Ramos—added three gold medals each to the Philippine haul in the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships at the Uzbekistan Sports Complex in Tashkent.

The 15-year-old Faustino of Barangay Pasobolong in Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz’s native Zamboanga City humbled her opponents from Vietnam and Thailand to sweep the golds staked in the women’s youth 49 kgs category.

Ramos, the elder sister of Rose Jean, also swept the junior women’s 49 kgs class to hike the Filipino weightlifters’ harvest to 12 gold medals on top of three silvers and two bronzes since the tournament started Sunday.

“Too young yet too strong,” said Christopher Bureros, one of the team’s coaches, told Businessmirror via chat message.

Faustino lifted 71 kgs in the snatch, 90 kgs in clean and jerk for a total of 161 kgs. She beat Vietnamese Do Thi Ngoc Anh, who settled for silvers in the snatch (69 kgs) and total lift (152 kgs). Thailand’s Thitapon Tika bagged the bronze medals in the clean and jerk (85 kgs) and total (151 kgs).

Ramos, on the other hand, lifted 80 kgs in snatch, 96 kgs in clean and jerk for as 176 kg total lift to get all three golds. Vietnamese Nguyen Bich Tram and Phan Thi Tuyet Ngoc finished second and third, respectively.

“I’m happy with the results so far although we still have Vanessa Sarno on the last day of the competition and we’re expecting for more gold medals,” coach Allen Diaz said.

Sarno, the reigning Asian and Vietnam Southeast Asian Games champion, will see action in the junior women’s 71 kgs category on Friday.