Weightlifting an eye-opener

The Philippines’ Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand and Indonesia discovered an Olympic medal mine in weightlifting 16 years ago but it’s only now that Filipino eyes are opened to the potentials of the sport with Hidilyn Diaz’ silver finish at the recent Rio Summer Games.

So far, Thailand has collected 31 Olympic medals with weightlifting accounting for 12 of the last 23, hauling in five golds, two silvers and five bronzes since Sydney in 2000. Indonesia has collected 30 Olympic medals, including 10 from weightlifting with five silver and five bronze medals. Four of the last five Olympic medals captured by Indonesia since the London Games were from weightlifting.

Philippine Weightlifting Association (PWA) president emeritus Monico Puentevella said he’s been fighting to promote the sport on a nationwide basis for over a decade. “Believe it or not, weightlifting is not even a Palarong Pambansa event,” he lamented. “Now everyone is advocating to support the smaller unrecognized events. Like a voice in the wilderness, we’ve been fighting for this even in Congress but nobody listened. We’ve had so many summits and master plans but nothing has happened. Now after 15 years, PWA has proved its point. Any master plan starts with the basics and that is the reason why the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy must be strengthened.”

Puentevella was a PSC commissioner for over six years, POC chairman for four years and the first Filipino president of the Asian Weightlifting Federation of which he is now the honorary lifetime president. He’s had the vision to uplift the standards of weightlifting in the country from when Thailand and Indonesia started to make headway in the sport in 2000. But in the PWA gym where Olympic lifters Hidilyn Diaz and Nestor Colonia work out at the Rizal Memorial, the equipment hasn’t been upgraded since the Philippines hosted the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

“Ironically, we even brag that we have a PSC savings of almost a billion pesos,” said Puentevella. “The Department of Education spends millions to put up white elephant infrastructures every year a region hosts the Palarong Pambansa with no follow-up program to speak of. PWA is only too happy to open the floodgates for unrecognized events like archery, judo, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, badminton and shooting to be given a role with enough logistics in the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy.”

Puentevella pointed out that there used to be a college category in the Palarong Pambansa where the likes of Lydia de Vega, Elma Muros, Isidro del Prado and Mona Sulaiman blossomed. “Now, the college athletes’ only options are joining the PRISAA and the University Games,” he said. “Where’s the program of the Commission on Higher Education? Where are the sports high schools which made Cuba and Australia powerhouses in the Olympics? Some 15 years ago, I delivered this message in Congress during the first year of my first term. Now is the time to act while everyone is going gaga over weightlifting. My appeal is not only for PWA but for all the other minor events that have been relegated to the dustbin by our top officials. Maybe, President Duterte is our lucky charm. Right after he won the presidency, the country unexpectedly received an Olympic medal after 20 long years.”

National weightlifting coach Dondon Aldanete said he expects a boom in the sport because of Diaz’ success. PWA now operates three regional hubs supervised by three 1988 Seoul Olympians. Samuel Alegada trains about 20 lifters in Bohol. Ramon Solis takes care of at least 50 in Cebu. And Gregorio Colonia looks after more than 100 in Zamboanga. Aldanete is in charge of the elite pool of five, including Diaz and Colonia, in Manila. PWA’s recruitment program covers students, out-of-school youth and lifting enthusiasts from eight years old to 21.

Aldanete said it took Diaz three Olympics before nailing a medal. So he’s not downhearted with Colonia’s performance in Rio. Colonia had only one successful lift in three attempts in the snatch and flubbed three tries in the clean and jerk. He carried 120 kilograms in his first snatch then failed in two bids to lift 125. In the clean and jerk, Colonia attempted thrice to pick up 154 and couldn’t do it. After he left the platform, Colonia staggered and nearly lost consciousness.

“He was eager to medal,” said Aldanete. “He really tried. Nestor beat the Rio bronze medalist Sinphet Kruaithong of Thailand at the World Championships last year. He thought he had a good chance to bring home a medal. When he got off the stage, he complained of blurred vision, got dizzy and collapsed. Doctors attended to him in the dressing room. It was explained that sometimes in lifting heavy weights, the vein in the neck that supplies blood to the brain gets strained and tightens up. That’s what happened to Nestor. He couldn’t take the pressure. When he got back home, he had a CTScan and there was no negative finding. He wants another chance. A week after coming home, he was back in the gym lifting.”