There are currently 22 Filipino athletes who will carry the Philippine flag in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.
Three of them are from Cebu. They are weightlifters’ Elreen Ando and John Febuar ceniza and Judoka Kiyomi Watanabe.
As the Paris Olympics 2024 draws closer, here are some fascinating facts about these three Cebuano Olympians, who are expected to put Cebu in the world map of sports.
Elreen Ando during the Asian Weightlifting Championships. | Photo from Ando’s Facebook page
Elreen Ando
• Elreen Ando made history as the first Cebuana weightlifter to qualify for the Olympics, after qualifying in the 2021 Tokyo Games.
• Ando debuted impressively, placing seventh overall in Tokyo in the women’s -64 kgs, before moving to the -59kg category.
• Ando earned a bronze medal in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and double silver medals in the Asian Championships in 2020 and 2024 across different weight classes.
• She is a gold medalist in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
• Despite a shoulder injury, Ando prevailed, securing a spot for the Olympics during the IWF World Cup in Thailand.
• Ando is a Philippine Coast Guard reservist and a varsity athlete of the University of Cebu (UC).
John Febuar Ceniza. | Photo from the International Weightlifting Federation Facebook page
John Febuar Ceniza
• John Febuar Ceniza is a first-time Olympian after qualifying in the IWF World Cup in Thailand.
• He holds the Philippine record in the men’s -61kg division with a remarkable lift of 297kg.
• Ceniza’s achievements include a bronze medal in the 2020 IWF World Cup in Rome and two silver medals in the Southeast Asian Games in 2019 and 2023.
• Ceniza missed a podium finish in the Hangzhou Asian Games, falling 1 kg short ahead of the bronze medalist.
• Like Ando, Ceniza honed his skills through Cebu City’s grassroots program and represents the UC Webmasters.
Kiyomi Watanabe (left) and her mom, Irene, during their visit to Cebu in 2017. | CDN File Photo
Kiyomi Watanabe
• Born in Cebu in 1996, Kiyomi Watanabe moved to Japan at a young age to pursue her judo career.
• She holds a degree in sports science from Waseda University, Japan, reflecting her dedication to both academics and sport.
• Watanabe spent some of her childhood in Cebu City and even studied at the St. Paul Learning Center.
• She moved to Japan when she was 8, where she built her judo career with Waseda University.
• She is a degree holder in sports science after graduating in 2016.
• Watanabe first competed for the Philippines in the 2011 SEA Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• Her first international medal with the Philippines was the 2013 SEA Games in the women’s -64 kgs event.
• She also bagged a bronze medal on the same year in the 2013 Asian Youth Judo Championship in Hainan, China.
• She once ranked fourth in Japan’s judo national rankings.
• Watanabe competed for the Philippines in the Tokyo Olympics but lost in the opening round.
• She also competed in the World Championships and Asian Championships.
• She is a double brozne medalist in the IJF Grand Slam
• Watanabe qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after earning one of the two Asian continental quotas.
Let’s show our support to our Cebuano Olympians by following their games at the Paris Olympics 2024.