CEBUANO lifter Renante Briones carries a heavy burden on his shoulders as he is expected to fare well in the upcoming Asian Games in Doha, Qatar in December.
Briones, a bronze medalist in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), leads RP's lean weightlifting delegation, which only includes teenage sensation Hidilyn Diaz of Zamboanga City and national team coach Greg Colonia.
"We are banking on Renante because he has improved after the SEA Games," said Philippine Weightlifting Association secretary general Roger Dullano adding that they may be sending only two lifters but they are the best bets.
Selection
The lifters had to go through a careful selection process before making the cut. After the regional qualifying rounds, the winners gained the right to try out for the national team last June.
"Not only did we base it on their performance during the tryout but we considered their previous records as well and we had to deliberate whether their chances in the Asiad are good," Dullano added.
After that, the list had to go through a final screening with the Doha Task Force, a group created by the Philippine Sports Commission, to make sure that whoever will be sent to Qatar has high chances of winning.
"The Task Force sets certain criteria, which an athlete should carry out before they make the RP team," Dullano said. Briones used to play for University of Cebu weightlifting team. He will be competing in the 105kg division.
Teen
Diaz on the other hand, who is only 15 years old, will compete in the 53kg class. Diaz had competed in last year's Sea Games in the 58kg division.
Meanwhile, the youth team, of which another Cebuano Kelly Kaye Rojas is a member, canceled its trip to the Asian Weightlifting Competition in China, after organizers decided to scrap it because only a few confirmed participation. (MCB)
