John Febuar Ceniza of the Philippines competes during the men’s 61kg weightlifting event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. | AP Photo/Kin Cheung
CEBU CITY, Philippines—John Febuar Ceniza was far from his best when he competed in the men’s 61-kilogram weightlifting category at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday evening, August 7, at the South Paris Arena in France.
Ceniza faced an early exit after failing to successfully lift 125 kilograms in the snatch. Despite three attempts, he couldn’t complete the lift, leading to his elimination from the competition.
His trainer, Christopher Bureros, revealed in a brief interview that Ceniza had been struggling with a right shoulder injury even during the warm-up.
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Cebu’s John Febuar Ceniza falls short in Olympic debut
“We had already reduced the weight during warm-up because he could feel the pain,” Bureros said.
Jessica Honoridez, the athletic director of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters, confirmed that Ceniza’s injury hadn’t fully healed.
“His first attempt was supposed to be 128 kgs, but we lowered it to 125 kgs to avoid aggravating his injury,” Honoridez said.
“At least they didn’t push him too hard.”
Gave it his all
His personal best in the snatch is 134 kgs, which is both his personal and the Philippine record.
Ceniza’s shoulder was seen wrapped in tape during the competition, a clear indication of his ongoing struggle with the injury.
“Despite his injury, he gave it his best shot,” Honoridez added.
“He has been dealing with this injury since his training in Manila and even after returning to Cebu, he hasn’t fully recovered. We are still very proud of him for continuing to compete under such conditions.”
“Congratulations to him for his courage and determination. Getting to the Paris Olympics wasn’t easy, so he should still be proud of himself because we are very proud of him.”
Despite this setback, the Philippines still has two medal hopefuls in two-time Olympian Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno.
Ando, also from Cebu, will compete Thursday, August 8, at 9 p.m., in the women’s 59 kgs category, while Sarno of Bohol will vie in the women’s 71 kgs on Friday, August 9.