Unknown weightlifting youth shows big potential

A possible successor to the country’s first Olympics gold medalist, Hidilyn Diaz – hailed as queen of Philippine weightlifting, is 17-year-old Rose Jean Ramos, who also hails from Zamboanga, after capturing a pair of gold medals and a silver in the recent World Youth Championships in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Ramos won the gold in the clean and jerk with a lift of 85 kilograms and in total weight with a 155kg while settling for the silver in the snatch with a 70kg in the women’s 45kg class.

She blew away the field that included Venezuelan Kerlys Montilla and Indian Soumya Sunil Dalvi, who wound up second and third, respectively.

It would seem she reprised her performance at last year’s edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where she bagged mints in snatch and total and silver in clean and jerk.

She also snared a gold and silver in the world tilt, hosted by Peru and done online due to the pandemic, the year that showed her ability to follow in the footsteps of Diaz.

“We’re on a roll,” said an ecstatic Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella.

Puentevella sees great potential in Ramos to make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside several other bets headed by Diaz and Vanessa Sarno, an equally promising 18-year-old lass from Tagbilaran, Bohol who ruled her heavier division in the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games last month and the Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan a year back.

Puentevella thanked coach Allen Diaz, the Philippine Sports Commission and the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation for the support.