Weightlifter Vanessa Sarno cops three gold medals in Asian Youth and Junior tilt

Young weightlifter Vanessa Sarno emerged victorious anew as she ruled the 71kg women's category of the 2023 Asian Youth and Junior Championship on Wednesday in New Delhi, India.

The 19-year old Sarno, who also reigned supreme in the Southeast Asian Games last May with a record-breaking performance, claimed three gold medals in snatch, clean and jerk, and overall lift to rule the 10-woman field.

Sarno successfully lifted 95kg in her first snatch attempt, but failed to lift 97kg in her second and third tries. Still, it was enough for the Filipina lifter to bag the gold medal in snatch with her closest competitor Phattaharathida Wongsing of Thailand settling for silver with 92 kg.

Wongsing continued to give Sarno a fight in the clean and jerk as it boiled down to their third and final lifts with the Thai bet clinching a good lift on 120kg. But Sarno defeated Wongsing by a kilogram as she lifted 121kg en route to the gold.

In total, Sarno collected 216kg to rule the event while Wongsing had 212kg for silver. Uzbekistan’s Sevinchoy Komilova bagged the bronze in snatch (88), clean and jerk (110) and total (198).

—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA Integrated News