CEBU’S PRIDE. The Philippines’ Elreen Ann Ando competes in the women’s 64kg division of the weightlifting event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the Tokyo International Forum in Tokyo, Japan on July 27, 2021. Ando finished in 7th place. | AFP Photo via Inquirer Sports
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuana weightlifter Elreen Anne Ando capped off her Olympics debut with a promising seventh-place finish in the women’s -64kg division weightlifting competition at the Tokyo International Forum in Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday evening.
The 22-year-old Ando finished her campaign with a total lift of 222-kilograms from the snatch and clean and jerk. Ando managed to lift 100kg in the snatch category and 122kg in the clean and jerk.
The pride of Barangay Carreta, Cebu City who is also the prized weightlifter of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters was accompanied by her coach Ramon Solis in the Tokyo Games.
The competition’s favorite, Maude Charron of Canada delivered an impressive performance to win the gold medal with a total lift of 236kgs (105kg snatch, and 131kg clean and jerk).
Italy’s Giorgia Bordignon bagged the silver medal with her 232kg effort while Chinese Taipei’s Wen Huei Chen earned the bronze medal with a 230kg total.
Ando qualified for the Olympics via the continental quota rankings of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
Her three-medal haul in the Asian Weightlifting Championships last April in Tashkent, Uzbekistan also boosted her bid for inclusion in the Tokyo Games. /rcg