Rise of Diaz heirs continue; Sarno, Ramos look to add PH haul

Filipino weightlifter Rose Jean Ramos rules women’s 45kg division. IWF PHOTO

Between them, young weightlifters Rose Jean Ramos and record-smasher Angeline Colonia have produced a bowlful of medals for the Philippines in the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

If anyone is under the impression that the Philippine delegation is done, wait until Vanessa Sarno and Rosegie Ramos take their turns in capping an expected sensational week for the country.

“We’re not done yet. More medals are expected to come,’’ said Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella.

The 17-year-old Ramos and the 15-year-old Colonia have amassed six gold medals, two silvers and a bronze between them with the reigning three-time world champion Ramos bagging four titles on top of a silver and a bronze in the youth and junior division of the women’s 45-kilogram class.

Colonia broke the world and Asian youth records in the snatch of the women’s youth 40kg category to seize two gold medals and a silver.

Rosegie Ramos, Rose Jean’s sister, was scheduled to take the stage on Tuesday night in the women’s junior 49kg, the same division where she won a bronze medal in the recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. Sarno, the current Asian champion and SEA Games gold medalist in -71kg, steps into the limelight on Wednesday.

“Both are capable of winning gold medals. This exposure is also good for the team for future competitions,’’ said Puentevella.

Sarno, seeking to erase her own Asian records set in 2022 also in Tashkent, is being groomed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics along with the Ramos sisters while Colonia has set her sights at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Every one of them is being considered as a possible heir apparent to Hidilyn Diaz, the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist after topping the women’s 55-kg contest in Tokyo last year.

Rose Jean was invincible in the youth division and showed a promising glimpse of the future in the junior ranks at the ongoing Asian championships. She swept the three gold medals in the snatch (70kgs) and clean and jerk (83kgs) for a 153-kg total. INQ