Rose Jean Ramos (Contributed file photo)
MANILA – Rose Jean Ramos captured three silver medals in the women's 45kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, South Korea on Friday.
The 17-year-old Zamboangueña registered 73kgs in snatch and 88kgs in the clean and jerk for a total of 161kgs.
Thailand's Sirivimon Pramongkhol, who finished fourth (48kg) at the 2012 London Olympics, pocketed the gold medal with a total lift of 177kgs (77kgs in snatch and 100kgs in the clean and jerk).
Indonesian Siti Nafisatul Hariroh, a gold medalist at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games, settled for the bronze medal after submitting a total lift of 159kgs (71kgs in snatch and 88kgs in clean and jerk).
"She’s the youngest in her event and yet she grabs a silver. Much younger than the Thai winner, 11 years difference. Sayang, it’s not yet an Olympic weight but who knows, she’ll probably go up to 49kgs soon. I'm proud of her. Nowhere to go but up," Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Puentevella serves as head of the Philippine delegation which includes coaches Nicolas Jaluag (Bohol), Patrick Lee (Pampanga) and Christopher Bureros (Cebu).
Last year, Ramos successfully defended the 45kg title at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Leon City, Guanajuato, Mexico.
She topped the clean and jerk (85kgs), came in second in the snatch (70kgs) and registered the best total of 155kgs.
The Asian Weightlifting Championships is the second qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics after the World Championships in Bogota, Colombia last year.
Other Filipino lifters in Seoul are Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz of Zamboanga City and Elreen Ann Ando of Cebu (women's 59kg), Rosegie Ramos (women's 49kg) and Kristel Macrohon (women's 71kg) of Zamboanga City, Vanessa Sarno of Bohol (women's 71kg), Lovely Inan of Angono, Rizal (women's 49kg) and John Febuar Ceniza of Cebu City (men's 61kg).
Diaz and Rosegie Ramos trained for one and a half months in the United States and stayed in Japan for two weeks before heading to Seoul.
The 32-year-old Diaz joined and won the 55kg gold medal in Colombia but the category is not included in Paris, prompting the SEA Games (2022) and Asian Games (2018) champion to move up to 59kg where Ando is also trying the get an Olympic berth.
Ando got three medals at the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan -- a bronze in snatch and two silvers from the clean and jerk, and total lift in the women's 64kg.
She placed seventh overall at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, qualifying through the Absolute Continental Ranking. She won the silver medal in Vietnam.
Sarno, the reigning Asian champion, won the women's 71kg category in the Vietnam SEAG, setting new records in snatch (104kgs), clean and jerk (124kgs) and total (239kgs).
She bagged three gold medals at the 2022 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Rosegie Ramos, a protégé of coach Allen Drayfus Diaz, also competed in Uzbekistan where she took the gold medal in the 49kg event. She secured a bronze medal in the Vietnam SEAG.
Ceniza won the silver medal in the 55kg event at the 2019 Manila SEA Games. (PNA)
