Pressure is always at an all-time high whenever you are carrying the Philippines in any sporting competition–let alone in a stage as prestigious and big as the Olympics.
But to be anointed as the predecessor of Hidilyn Diaz adds another layer of excitement and big-time expectations to deliver in front of the whole world.
This is where Vanessa Sarno–the 20 year-old prodigy out of Dauis, Bohol– stands now as one of the members of Team Philippines’ weightlifting team that is set to compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
As early as nine years old, she navigated a path that saw her set records in every tournament she competed to earn a Olympic debut at such a young age.
Revisit the key events that paved the way towards Saro’s journey to Paris 2024:
2020- A Star is Born
Sarno, then 17-year-old, introduced herself to the world weightlifting scene after bagging two golds and one silver in the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
This came after a stellar career at the youth level that included five golds in the 2019 Asian Youth and Junior Championships in North Korea and in the 2020 IWF Online World Youth Championships in Peru.
Behind her remarkable performance, the talks of Sarno being Hidilyn Diaz’s “successor” began to surface at this point, with some expecting the young Filipina to follow the footsteps of the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist as early as Paris 2024.
Huge compliment indeed for Vanessa, but she knows there’s work needed to be done in order to do so.
May 21, 2022- History-maker in Hanoi
Talk about a smashing debut.
Sarno crushed the competition in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam after a historic performance that further proved her worth as an Asian champion.
She single-handedly ruled the -71 kg class with a performance for the ages, lifting a total of 239 kilograms–104 kg for snatch and 135 kg in the clean and jerk– all new SEA Games and Philippine records.
Alongside Diaz, who also claimed gold in the Women's -55kg event, the Philippine weightlifting squad collected four medals with a silver and bronze for a commendable performance in the biennial sporting event.
May 9, 2023- Prelude Lift in Korea
Sarno came up with another stellar campaign in 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, Korea, bagging three silver medals at the women’s 71kg just days before her title defense in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.
The then 19-year-old sensation lifted 107 kg in the snatch, while beating out Taiwan’s Wen-Huei Chen by just one kilogram in the clean and jerk (132kg).
Sarno tallied a total lift of 239 kg while Chinese phenom Guifang Lia was the runaway winner after a 268 kg total lift.
Overall, the Philippines earned six medals in that event – three in which coming from Sarno in the week-long tournament that ran for four more days.
What lies ahead in her next competition truly puts Sarno in a class of her own.
May 15, 2023- Back and Better Than Ever
Sarno just continues to make weightlifting look like child’s play.
The Boholana removed the excitement and drama in the weightlifting competition, hardly breaking a sweat in retaining her women’s 71kg crown at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia
She recorded a total lift of 225 kg—including lifting 105kg in the snatch, breaking the SEA Games record of 104 kg she set en route to gold at the last edition of the SEA Games at Hanoi 2021.
Nobody came close to knocking off Sarno from her perch nearly 20 kg more than silver medalist Thipwara Chontavin of Thailand, who lifted a total of 208 kg.
Sarno could have padded her lead without breaking a sweat but settled for a 120 kg clean and jerk on her first attempt after feeling tightness on her knees.
With a successful SEA Games title defense now in the books, Sarno now turns to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with booming confidence in her last two competitions.
October 2023- Heartstrong in Hangzhou
Sarno, sustained an injury while training for the Asiad a few weeks ago, placed fifth in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China after lifting a total of 235 kg, falling short of a podium finish in the much-heavier women’s -76kg event.
It's a quite impressive mark considering the teenage star suffered an elbow injury in IWF World Championship in Saudi Arabia–a qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics– just before the quadrennial sporting event.
April 7, 2024 - One Historical Lift for Paris
Fast forward to 2024 and Sarno is headed to her young career's biggest stage yet, qualifying for Paris 2024 following a remarkable performance in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
The 20-year-old did so in a historical fashion, posting a new Philippine record in the snatch category after hoisting 110 kg, shattering the previous record of 108kg she also set last year.
She then cleared 135 kg in the clean and jerk for a total lift of 245kg, finishing fifth in the tournament that served as the last qualifying event for Olympic weightlifting.
Only the top-10 weightlifters in each category can earn tickets to the Olympic Games.
[ALSO READ: 2024 Olympics watch: Vanessa Sarno sets new Philippine record en route to Paris berth]
Currently, Sarno is tied for no.5 in the women’s -71kg division in the IWF World Ranking with Angie Palacios of Ecuador.
With her leading the way, the Philippine weightlifting team is poised to make history in Paris, sending the country’s biggest delegate in the sport in almost four decades.
The last time three weightlifters represented the Philippines in a single Olympics was in the 1988 Seoul Games.
Overall, every lift Sarno takes, a whole nation is on her back.
And if the stars align in Paris, the next Hidilyn Diaz can become the first and only Vanessa Sarno.
Story summary:
· Vanessa Sarno, a 20-year-old weightlifting prodigy from Dauis, Bohol, is set to compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. She has been recognized as a potential successor to Hidilyn Diaz due to her impressive performances and record-setting achievements in various international competitions from a young age.
· Sarno's journey includes winning gold and silver medals at the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships, setting SEA Games and Philippine records in the 2022 Hanoi Games, and continuing her success with silver medals at the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships. She successfully defended her SEA Games title in 2023, showcasing her dominance in the women's 71kg weight category.
· Despite an injury setback in 2023, Sarno qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics after a historic performance at the IWF World Cup in April 2024, where she set a new Philippine record. Currently ranked fifth in the world in her category, she leads the Philippine weightlifting team, aiming to make history at the upcoming Olympics.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]