TWO-TIME Olympian Elreen Ann Ando reaffirmed her dominance on the international stage by claiming her second Southeast Asian Games gold medal, ruling the women’s 63kg (kilogram)weightlifting competition on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, at the Chonburi Sports School in Thailand.
The 27-year-old Cebuana, also a three-time Asian Championships silver medalist, lifted a total of 229 kg to secure the victory.
Ando, a University of Cebu alumna, finished comfortably ahead of Vietnam’s Thi Thuy Tien Nguyen, who totaled 219 kg, while Thailand’s Thanaporn Saetia took bronze with 218 kg.
In the snatch, Ando started strong with lifts of 96 kg and 98 kg before clearing 102 kg on her final attempt, establishing a four-kilogram lead over Saetia.
In the clean and jerk, she missed her first attempt at 123 kg but succeeded on her second, then sealed her triumph with a 127-kg lift on her final try.
This marks Ando’s second SEA Games gold, following her victory in the 59kg class in Cambodia in 2023. She also has two SEA Games silver medals from 2019 and 2021.
Her win helped boost the Philippines’ medal tally in weightlifting to two, after young Albert Ian Delos Santos claimed silver in the men’s 71kg event on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Jones Inso delivered Philippines’ second gold medal in wushu after topping the men’s Taijiquan–Taijijian event against 12 other competitors.
The Asian Games bronze medalist dominated the field with 9.783 points, narrowly edging out Singapore’s Tay Yu Xuan (9.773) and Chan Jun
Kai (9.770).
This is Inso’s first gold in the biennial meet, following silver-medal finishes in 2019 and 2021 and a 14th-place finish in 2023. / VIA POC / SPORTS RADIO