Asian Games: Vanessa Sarno bothered by injury, not heavier class

HANGZHOU, China—Vanessa Sarno sees no big issue after going up to a heavier weight class in the 19th Asian Games (Asiad).

What concerns the former Asian champion more is the injured elbow she sustained in the recent 2023 International Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“This is the first time that I got injured, so it has become traumatic for me,” said Sarno ahead of her stint in the Hangzhou Asiad.

The 19-year-old phenom hurt her left elbow while lifting in the snatch event during the women’s 71 kilogram (kg) of the world championships last week and has been bothered by a piercing sensation in her arm since arriving in Manila on Sept. 15.

Sarno, the 2020 Asian champion in her usual weight category and two-time Southeast Asian Games winner, was forced to move up in the 76kg class, the first time she has done so in her young career.

“I’m okay at 76 (kgs). I’m not familiar with the opponents who I will face, but [that’s an] easier [problem] compared to losing weight,’’ said Sarno, who claimed the 71kg silver in the Asian championships in South Korea, four months ago.

The women’s 71kg was scratched from the Hangzhou Games’ weightlifting event, which starts on Saturday. INQ