Ando keeps fire burning

MANILA, Philippines — Elreen Ando bagged a pair of silver medals in the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last Monday and pressed her drive for a berth to this year’s Paris Olympics.

The reigning Southeast Asian Games champion lifted 120 kilograms in clean and jerk and 213kg in total in claiming the silvers. She continued to trail Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo in the race for the lone Philippine slot in the women’s 59 kilogram class in Paris.

Diaz is moving up in weight after the 55kg division, which she ruled in Tokyo to give the country its first Olympic gold, was scratched. It created a tight race between Ando and Diaz for the lone slot at 59kg.

Ando, who bagged the bronze medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games last October, boosted her confidence in her bid to make her second Olympics stint by winning the silver medals in Tashkent.

North Korea’s Kim Il-Gyong took the gold with a 225kg while Indonesia’s Natasya Beteyob copped the bronze with a 212kg.

Diaz-Naranjo skipped the Tashkent meet and opted to join the next Olympic qualification in Bangkok, Thailand next month.