Ando places sixth

Weightlifter Elreen Ando might have finished in sixth place in the women’s 59-kilogram event at the Paris Olympics, but she set a new Philippine record in the clean-and-jerk and total lift at the South Paris Arena 6 late Thursday (Manila time).

Ando, 26, lifted 130 kg in the clean-and-jerk in her third and final attempt, making her total lift 230 kg.

The Cebu City native eclipsed her own clean-and-jerk and total lifts of 128 kg and 228 kg, respectively, which she achieved at the IWF World Cup on 3 April in Thailand.

She also equaled the national snatch record of 100 kg, which she set at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh last September.

This was an improvement for Ando, who is competing in her second Summer Games, after lifting a total of 222 kg in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

World champion Luo Shifang of China took the gold medal and set three new Olympic records after lifting a snatch of 107 kg and a clean-and-jerk of 134 kg for a total lift of 241 kg.

Maude Charron of Canada settled for a silver medal after a snatch of 106 kg and a clean-and-jerk of 130 kg for a total lift of 236 kg.

Tokyo Games gold medalist Kuo Hsing-chun of Chinese Taipei was relegated to a bronze medal this time after lifting 105 kg in the snatch and 130 kg in the clean-and-jerk for a total lift of 235 kg.