Elreen Ando bombs out

Elreen Ando emerged empty-handed as she failed to finish her clean and jerk lift in the women's 59-kilogram event of the 2022 IWF World Weightlifting Championships Friday morning (Manila time) at the Gran Carpa Americas Conferias in Bogota, Colombia.

Ando, one of the country's bets in the Tokyo Olympics, lifted 97 kgs in snatch but couldn't get the job done in clean and jerk that led to her retirement.

Yenny Alvarez of Colombia won the gold medal in clean and jerk with 133 kgs for a total of 234 kgs to dethrone Kuo Hsing-Chun of Chinese Taipei as well as a bronze medal in snatch with 101 kgs.

Kuo settled for silver medals in snatch with 102 kgs, clean and jerk with 1130 kgs and total lift wit 232 kgs while Maude Charron of Canada started strong with a gold medal in snatch with 103 kgs but finished fourth in clean and jerk with 128 kgs and bronze in total lift with 231 kgs.

Luo Shifang of China plucked the bronze medal in clean and jerk with 129 kgs but wound fourth in total lift with 230 kgs.

Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella said Ando could have suffered an injury and she is getting medical attention at a local hospital.

"We don't exactly know what happened there and we had her undergo X-ray. Accidents happen in competitions," said Puentevella, who was over the moon after Hidilyn Diaz claimed three gold medals in the women's 55 kg class on Thursday.

"Still, it was a good performance. She was actually competing for a medal here but she aimed for the heavier lift too quickly."

There's a pressing need for Ando to come up with a strong performance.

With the organizers scrapping the women's 55-kg class in the Paris Olympics, Diaz has no choice but to compete in the 59-kg class where Ando is seeing action.

Puentevella said it will boil down to who between Diaz and Ando will compete in the 59-kg event.

"If Hidilyn really wants to play in the women's 59kg category, she and Ando will have to fight for it in our national tryouts," Puentevella said.

"If she (Diaz) is serious about getting to 59-kg, there's nothing we can do about it but watch them fight for it."