Boholana weightlifting prodigy, who is being eyed as the heir to the throne currently held by Philippine weightlifting queen Hidilyn Diaz, gets assurance from sports officials of support in her career as an athlete representing the Philippines.
Vanessa Sarno, is being heralded as a future Olympic and world champion, following her record-breaking performance at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, last week.
In order to realize her potential as a future sporting champion of the Philippines, this teenage sensation, who traces her roots in Tagbilaran City and Dauis town, needs all the support she can get especially from sporting officials in the country.
“She [Sarno] is the new darling of Philippine weightlifting. We will support her by giving an excellent coach and exposure for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William Ramirez said.
Ramirez added the sports-centric agency of the government is providing a special training team for her including a foreign coach.
Sarno lifted her way to the gold medal in the women’s 71-kilogram category, smashing the games’ record with a total lift of 239 kgs.
Getting under the tutelage of a foreign coach proved to be the winning formula for successful Filipino athletes such as Diaz, gymnastics world champion Carlos Yulo, and even World No. 5 and Asia’s best pole vaulter EJ Obiena.
Sarno’s scintillating performance in Hanoi provides us a glimpse of her potential as a gold medal hopeful in the 2024 Paris Olympics.