Elreen Ando. | AFP photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Five of the Philippines’ top weightlifting contenders, including Cebu’s Elreen Ando, are now in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to participate in the Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF) Senior Championships and Paris Olympic qualifiers, scheduled from February 3 to 10, 2024.
The 25-year-old Ando, a bronze medalist in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, leads the six-member weightlifting squad sent by the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) for the week-long competition.
Ando will compete alone in the 59-kilogram division, as Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo decided to skip these Olympic qualifiers.
Also skipping the AWF Senior Championships is Kristel Macrohon, who was supposed to compete in the 71kg division.
In addition to Ando, Vanessa Sarno, a two-time Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) gold medalist from Bohol, will be competing in Uzbekistan in the 71kg division.
Completing SWP’s contingent are Rose Jean Ramos, Rosegie Ramos, and Lovely Inan.
Rose Jean Ramos will compete in the 45kg division, while her sister Rosegie will vie in the 49kg division. Inan will be in action in the 49kg division.
If fortune favors Ando, this will be her second time competing in the Olympics. In 2020, Ando qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and ultimately finished in seventh place.
This will be her second time competing in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, following her silver medal finish at the Asian Championships in 2020, which paved the way for her to qualify for the Olympics.
Ando shone in Cambodia’s SEA Games last year after breaking the 59kg division records.
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