MANILA – Weightlifting prodigy Vanessa Sarno is setting her eyes on the biggest stage in Paris next year just after she defended her throne in the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

Sarno captured her second straight gold medal in the biennial meet through another record-breaking performance in the women’s 71kg weight class.

The 19-year-old Sarno made all her lifts in the snatch, with her third attempt of 105kg setting a new SEA Games record. The Filipina teenager held the previous mark of 104kg, set last year in Hanoi.

Before competing in the SEA Games in Cambodia, she also won silver in the Asian Championships in Jinju, South Korea where she had a total lift of 239kg (107kg snatch, 132kg clean and jerk).

Video courtesy by Rhea Soco-Neis

“Before ako pumunta, hindi ko in-expect kung anong makukuha ko kasi galing po akong laro sa Asian (Championships). Kaya hindi ko po alam kung makakapag-perform ako mabuti. Kaya nung nandun po ako, kaya ko pa manalo, na maggo-gold po ako,” Sarno said.

With all her recent feats, Sarno is looking forward to more tournaments that will help her qualify in the forthcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Sarno repeats as SEAG gold medalist with dominant performance

“Yung iniisip ko po ngayon is nagpo-focus po ako sa pagka-qualify sa Olympics kasi marami pa pong laro para mag-qualify. So nagpo-focus po ako sa mga performance ko sa mga paparating na laro,” she said.

Sarno has been pegged as the next Pinay weightlifter to follow the footsteps of Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz, who ruled the women’s 55kg in Tokyo Olympics.

At a young age, the teenager had already claimed gold in the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan. She followed it up with another golden performance in the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam.

For more stories on the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, click here.