By Ashley Bercasio
Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) president Monico Puentevella firmly believes that Filipino weightlifters are capable of giving two more medals in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I can see a silver and a gold again in Paris,” Puentevella said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum on Tuesday, July 26.
The country’s first and lone Olympic gold medal came from SWP’s program after Hidilyn Diaz tallied 224 kilograms to rule the women’s 55-kilogram event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
But for the country’s next medal haul, Puentevella is pinning his hopes on several Filipino weightlifting rising stars like Vanessa Sarno, who just won three gold medals in the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, Elreen Ando, Kristel Macrohon and sisters Rosegie and Rose Jean Ramos who combined for seven medals in the Youth and Junior Championships.
“Si Sarno okay na ‘yan for Paris, pero I’m hoping, through the qualifying, baka si Ando,” added Puentevella.
To achieve such lofty medal aspirations, Puentevella is looking to tap the services of another Chinese coach – like what SWP did to Diaz when they hired coach Gao Kaiwen.
“Ang PSC board under [Chairman William] Ramirez, nag-okay na na kukuha ako ng isang bagong Chinese coach only for the others. Si Hidilyn kasi will only be with Julius Naranjo, ang kanyang asawa, ‘yan na lang, wala na s’yang Chinese coach, ako, kukuha ako ng bago para lang tumulong because honestly, with all due respect, ang aking mga provincial coaches are mahusay na talaga,” said Puentevella.
SWP will continue to follow the blueprint Diaz used to get the elusive gold medal.
Alongside her Team HD, Diaz trained in a village house in Malaysia for more than a year before seeing action in Tokyo.
“They can be the best in the world maski sa probinsya lang sila, we don’t have to go far, we don’t have to travel far para mag-training,” Puentevella said. “It just only proves na maski sa Cebu ka, sa Bacolod, sa Zamboanga, it doesn’t matter, it’s in the heart.”
Diaz’s sacrifices bore fruit in a big way as her golden performance turned to cash incentives amounting to millions plus other services and rewards from the private sector.
Puentevella hopes that this will inspire the next crop of national weightlifters.
“If you want to become millionaires the rest of your life gay ani Hidilyn, libre bahay, libre kotse, libre lahat sa buhay, this is their motivation,’ Puentevella added. — gb
