First-time Olympian Vanessa Sarno attempts to live up to her stature as Hidilyn Diaz's heir apparent when she competes later in the women's 71-kg event.
All the talk surrounding Vanessa Sarno being touted as a prodigy, successor, and a special talent will be put to test once and for all.
Sarno aims to redeem and give the Philippine weightlifting team a golden ending in Paris 2024, finally seeing action in the women's 71-kg event at the South Paris Arena 6 at 1:00 a.m. (PH time).
The 20-year-old will be the last Filipino weightlifter to compete in Paris after John Ceniza and Elreen Ando finished podium-less in their respective campaigns in the men’s 61 kg and women’s 59 kg events.
[ALSO READ: John Ceniza bows out of Paris 2024 weightlifting]
[ALSO READ: Weightlifter Elreen Ando finishes sixth in women’s 59kg, sets personal best in Paris 2024]
Sarno earned her an Olympic ticket after shattering her own national record in snatch with a 110kg and cleared 135kg in the clean and jerk for a total lift of 245kg in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Thailand last April.
She finished fifth in the tournament that served as the last qualifying event for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Ranked no. 5 in the world, Sarno carries an entire nation’s hope of another golden lift in weightlifting. Back in Tokyo 2020, Diaz ended the Philippines’ 97-year odyssey for the ever-elusive Olympic gold.
But it will surely be a tough road ahead for the debuting Olympian.
Among her toughest rivals are world no. 2 Olivia Reeves of the USA, Angie Palacios of Ecuador, Chen Wen-huei of Chinese Taipei, and Loredana Elena Toma of Romania to name a few.
Wen-huei is the reigning Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist while the bemedalled Palacios is a three-time champion in the Pan American Championships while also clinching a silver and bronze in the World Championships.
Reeves, meanwhile, emerged as the top dog during the IWF World Cup, where the American athlete lifted a total of 268kg (118kg from snatch and 150kg from clean and jerk).