HANGZHOU, China — Staying healthy will be the top priority when Vanessa Sarno wades into the women's 76-kilogram weightlifting event of the 19th Asian Games on Thursday at the Huanglong Sports Centre Gymnasium here.

Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella said their priority is to qualify for the Paris Olympics so Sarno has to take good care of herself while chasing a medal in this prestigious quadrennial event.
Sarno is one of the country's elite lifters for being a two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and a former Asian champion.

But she suffered an elbow injury while competing in the World Weightlifting Championship in Riyadh and was rushed to the intensive care unit after getting unconscious during the Asian Junior and Youth Weightlifting Championships in New Delhi recently.

"I have only one very important instruction to her: Please don't get hurt," Puentevella told Daily Tribune in a conversation.

"We have a bigger goal which is to make it to the Paris Olympics. We won't realize that goal if she suffers an injury here in the Asian Games."

Puentevella admitted that the Asian Games is the least among their priorities.

Aside from not being an Olympic-qualifying event, the host country also allowed the inclusion of bets from North Korea, who are blowing away the field with their supernatural lifting prowess.

The World Anti-Doping Agency barred the North Koreans from seeing action in the coming Olympic and Paralympic Games after refusing to subject themselves to drug testing.

"This tournament (Asian Games) doesn't present what actually awaits us in the Paris Olympics," Puentevella said.

"With the presence of the North Koreans, who don't subject themselves to testing, it's really hard for our athletes to win medals."

Puentevella said Sarno will not allow herself to get easily beaten.

"But I know her, she's a fighter," Puentevella said, referring to the 20-year-old star from Tagbilaran City who nearly missed the Asiad due to injury.