While Cebuana weightlifter Elreen Ando missed a podium finish in the women's 64kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella said the future looks bright for the 22-year-old.
The Cebuana weightlifter finished in seventh with a total lift of 222kg, but weightlifting officials who saw Ando were thrilled with what they witnessed from the young woman.
“That girl is good. Take care of her,” shared Puentevella of what he was told by International Weightlifting Federation secretary-general Hasan Jalood Mohammed on the sidelines of the competition Tuesday night.
“That’s the same thing Hasan Mohammed told me when he first saw Hidilyn (Diaz),” Puentevella added.
Seeing Ando’s potential as a future world beater, Puentevella said they’re ready to invest in the 22-year-old lifter from Cebu City.
“What I’m doing to Ando is what I did to Hidilyn,” said Puentevella, shortly before their departure for Manila.
Ando was over 10 kilograms short of the winning lift of eventual 64kg gold-medal winner Maude Charron from Canada. Silver-medal winner Giorgia Bordignon of Italy was also way ahead of Ando with a total lift of 232kg.
However, Puentevella is optimistic that with the right training and support, Ando can become a medal contender in future tournaments. (JNP)