Participants, SWP officials, and fellow stakeholders of the 2024 National Weightlifting Championships pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony on Tuesday. | By Glendale Rosal
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) President Monico Puentevella sees Cebu as a hotbed for weightlifting in the future.
Puentevella led the opening ceremony of the 2024 National Weightlifting Championships at the SM Seaside City Cebu Tuesday night, June 11, to mark Cebu City’s second hosting of the coveted national tilt since 2018.
Over 300 weightlifters from around the country converged at the SM Seaside City Cebu to compete in over 36 weight categories with the hopes of following the footsteps of Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
READ: Puentevella lauds Cebu’s rise in weightlifting
“We might get a gold in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Hopefully from Cebu, because Cebu has a large following of weightlifting now and a good management from weightlifting officials,” said Puentevella.
Currently, Cebu has two Olympic coaches in Christopher Bureros and Ramon Solis. They were the ones who honed the skills of Paris Olympics-bound weightlifters Elreen Ando and John Febuar Ceniza.
READ: National Weightlifting Open to invade Cebu in June
“At least we have many coaches today and of course with Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) of John Pages and Antonio Aldeguer of ALA Boxing, he’s moving to weightlifting from boxing. He wants to help,” added Puentevella.
“I can foresee more lifters from Cebu that will qualify for the Olympics.”
Aside from Puentevella, CCSC Chairman Pages, acting Cebu City Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros, and other SWP officials graced the opening ceremony of the 2024 National Weightlifting Championships last Tuesday.
Also present were Ando, Ceniza, and fellow Olympian Vanessa Sarno and Nestor Colonia. Ando and Sarno also demonstrated clean and jerk and snatch, respectively.
“We have three Olympians that will inspire the lifters even more from other provinces, but they have to always pay tribute to the first ones like Nestor Colonia and Hidilyn Diaz who competed in the past four Olympics,” Puentevella said.
“In the past five Olympics, only weightlifting has an entry to the Olympics. Now meron nang iba, but from the very start from Beijing to the present, it’s only the Philippines contributing to it. So now, we hope that after watching this five Olympians, there will be more,” he added.