Heir to Hidilyn's throne: Sarno bags 2 golds, 1 silver in Asian Weightlifting Championships

MANILA, Philippines – Teenage sensation Vanessa Sarno showed why she is the heir apparent to 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz after she scooped up two gold medals and a silver Wednesday night in the women’s 71-kilogram division of the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent Uzbekistan.

The 17-year-old Sarno took mints in clean and jerk (128kg) and total (229kg) and had a silver in the snatch (101kg), underscoring her status the one who will succeed Diaz, who will make her fourth Olympic appearance in Tokyo in July, as the country’s top lifter.

Sarno, whose trip here was bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), outshone Rio Olympian Gulnabat Kadyrova of Turkmenistan, who had a gold in snatch (102kg), a silver in total (223kg) and a bronze in clean and jerk (121kg).

It came a day after Elreen Ando pocketed a pair of silver and a bronze in the 64kg class.

The Tabiliran, Bohol native also took some of the spotlight away from Diaz, who wound up only fourth in the 55kg section but her Tokyo qualification completely made for it.

It was another impressive effort for Sarno, who swept all three gold in the online World Youth Championship in November last year.

It’s unfortunate though that this is Sarno's first Asian-level senior tournament and would not make the Olympic cut.

But it bared her unlimited potential as an Olympic qualifier, and possibly a medal contender, in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"She's new, first Asian for her. World junior champion, asian junior champion, and now Asian champion. Successor to Hidilyn," said Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) president Monico Puentevella.