THE SAMAHANG Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) is hoping to tap a foreign coach to train the national team, including the talented women’s squad headed by the youthful Vanessa Sarno, with the end goal of striking gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
SWP president Monico Puentevella said the specific target is a female coach to help the national lifters including Sarno, a 19-year-old Tagbilaran, Bohol native who is being groomed as the successor to Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo.
“Yes, we already made representations with the Chinese Ambassador and embassy for a female coach. Waiting for updates,” said Mr. Puentevella.
The coach would fill the vacuum left by another Chinese coach, Gao Kaiwen, who turned Ms. Diaz-Naranjo into an Olympic champion and triple World Championships gold medalist.
Gao though has flown back home and may never return.
SWP is hoping to use the same blueprint in honing another Filipino with Olympic gold potential into a world-beater.
Ms. Sarno is one of those young guns that the SWP is hoping to mold into an Olympic contender as she reaped honors at a very young age after her Asian Championship and Hanoi Southeast Asian Games conquests.
Apart from Ms. Sarno, the new generation includes sisters Rosegie and Rose Jean Ramos and Angeline Colonia, who all captured gold in the World Juniors Championships in Uzbekistan in July.
The country also has high hopes for Olympian Elreen Ando and SEA Games titlist Kristel Macrohon to make the Paris Games cut. — Joey Villar