Elreen Ando (left) and John Febuar Ceniza (right). | Facebook photos
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuano weightlifters in Elreen Ando and John Febuar Ceniza will have a very busy month of May as they compete in two huge events.
Ando and Ceniza, who are both from the University of Cebu (UC) weightlifting team, will don the Philippines’ tri-colors in the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships, which is slated to kick off this weekend in Jinju, South Korea and the 32nd Southeast Asian Game (SEAG) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 13 to 16.
Ando’s first mission is to compete in the Asian Championships, which also serves as an Olympic qualifying competition where she will face no other than Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
She will compete in the women’s 59-kilogram division after Ando decided to move down from the 64kg division.
READ: In SEA Games, Elreen Ando gets chance to polish her shine
For her coach, Ramon Solis of the UC Webmasters and the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP), he is confident that Ando will do great in her second campaign in the 59kg.
This was even after, Ando suffered a left elbow injury that booted her out in the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Bogota, Colombia last December.
After being sidelined for a few months, Ando resumed her training earlier this year in Cebu alongside Ceniza and Dexter Tabique who will be vying in the SEA Games.
“Si Ando naulian na iyang left elbow, nakuha na iyang record. Nabalik na iyang strength, ug naka adjust na sya sa iyang body weight. Mo snatch na siya 100kg sa snatch ug 125kg sa clean and jerk,” said Solis.
(The left elbow of Ando is already okay, she has already reached her record. Her strength is back, and she has adjustted to her body weight. She can now snatch 100 kg in the snatch and 125 kg sa clean and jerk.)
“Confident mi nga makatupong siya ni Hidilyn. Maayo iyahang training ug preparation. Nabag-ohan siya sa pagreduce kay first time niya sa 59kg. Niduwa siya sa miagi sa 64kg, sa Bogota 59kg, ikaduha na niya karon,” he said.
(I am confident that she can reach Hidilyn’s level. Her training and preparation is good. It took her a while to adapt to reducing in the 59 kg for the first time. She earlier competed in 64 kg, in Bogota 59 kg. This is her second time.)
READ: Ando rules women’s 59 kg category; sets 125 kg PH record in clean and jerk
However, Solis admitted that despite winning the gold medal in the 59kg division in the Asian championships since Diaz already earned huge points for winning the gold medal in the World Championships in Bogota last year.
“Bisan makagold si Ando ani, si Hidilyn layo na sa puntos kay nakagold man siya sa Bogota. Pero dako gihapon kaayo ni nga test ni Ando ug experience para sa iyahang future,” said Solis.
(Even if Ando will get gold here, but Hidilyn is very far in points because she got gold in Bogota. But this is still a big test of Ando and her experience for her future.)
Ando and Diaz’s 59kg division competition is slated on Saturday, May 7 at 6PM.
Meanwhile, Ceniza will compete in the 61kg division on May 6 with the hopes of winning the gold medal and qualify to the Paris Olympics.
“Ig ka human nila sa Korea, modiretso na sila sa Cambodia para sa SEA Games. Ikaduha na ni Ceniza ug Tabique moduwa sa SEA Games ug ikatulo na ni Ando. Hopefully, magpadayon lang sila og focus para maka uli sila nga naay medal. Nisalig ra sad ko nilang tulo,” added Solis.
(After they will be done with Korea, they will go straight to Cambodia for the SEA Games. Ceniza is second and Tabique will compete in the SEA Games and Ando is third. Hopefully, they will continue to focu so that they can come home with the medal. We trust in the three of them.)
Tabique will compete in the men’s 89kg division.
READ: Ando of Cebu, Hidilyn Diaz to meet in Asian Weightlifting Championships