VANESSA Sarno is set to formalize her entry in the Olympics after completing the qualification process in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand on Sunday.
Sarno lifted a total of 245 kilograms, setting a new national record of 110 in the snatch on the way to a fifth place finish in the women’s 71kg division.
Her lift on Sunday was four kilograms short of her qualification best of 249 but still likely to book her ticket to the Olympics as she was fifth in the Olympic Qualification Rankings entering the IWF World Cup.
The official list will be released to the National Olympic Committees on May 1.
One of Sarno’s motivation in her successful entry to the Olympics was a critic who said she won’t make it to the world’s biggest stage.
“To someone na nagsabi sa akin na hindi ko kayang mag-Olympics, thank you,” said Sarno in a post on her social media account.
The 20-year-old Sarno is already an accomplished weightlifter before qualifying for Paris, winning the Asian Championship in 2020 and bagging two Southeast Asian Games gold medals.
She also captured the Asian juniors title in 2023 by bagging three gold medals.
Sarno is expected to join fellow weightlifters Elreen Ando and John Ceniza in the Paris Olympics once the International Weightlifting Federation makes its list of qualifiers official.
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