CEBU PRIDE. John Febuar Ceniza (left) shows the silver medal he won in the men's 71kg category of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix II on Dec. 6, 2023 in Doha, Qatar. With him is national coach Christopher Bureros. (Contributed photo)
MANILA – Filipino weightlifters hoping to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics are scheduled to join two more tournaments to boost their chances.
Eight athletes, led by Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo of Zamboanga City, will compete in the Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Feb. 3-10 and the World Cup in Phuket, Thailand from March 31 to April 11.
Others in the line-up are Zamboangueñas Rose Jean Ramos (W45kg), Rosegie Ramos (W49kg) and Kristel Macrohon (W71kg); Lovely Inan of Angono, Rizal (W49kg); Cebu City's John Febuar Ceniza (M61kg) and Elreen Ann Ando (W59kg); and Vanessa Sarno of Bohol (W71kg).
The eight athletes have participated in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix II on Dec. 5-10 in Doha, Qatar. However, only Rose Jean Ramos and Ceniza delivered medals.
Ramos, 18, captured three silver medals - snatch (70kgs), clean and jerk (85kgs) and total (155kgs).
Ceniza, 25, got the silver medal in total (298kgs) despite finishing fourth in snatch (133kgs) and fifth in the clean and jerk (165kgs). His lifts are new national records.
"The World Cup is a very tough competition and I'm sure John Febuar will do his best, just like what he did in Qatar," national coach Christopher Bureros said in an interview on Tuesday.
"I told him to stay focused and that he has to surpass his previous personal records to improve his chance of qualifying in Paris," added Bureros, who together with coach Ramos Solis, is supervising Ceniza's training.
The Top 10 lifters will earn a quota place for their respective country and bodyweight category through the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking tournaments from Aug. 1, 2022 to April 28, 2024. (PNA)
