Ando bags 3 silvers in Asian tilt

Elreen Ando seems to be into the groove after pocketing three silver medals in the women’s 64-kilogram event of the Asian Weightlifting Championships in China last Friday.

The 26-year-old lifter tallied 102kgs in the snatch and 130kgs in the clean-and-jerk for a total lift of 232kgs.

Home bet Li Shuang won the gold medals in snatch with 105kgs, clean-and-jerk with 134 kgs, and a total lift of 239 kgs while Mun Minhee of South Korea finished in third place with 91kgs in the snatch and 120kgs in the clean-and-jerk for a total of 214kgs.

But for Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella insists he isn’t bothered that Ando didn’t get the gold.

“Her goal is the LA Olympics. Her third try,” Puentevella said in an online conversation.

“She’s on the right track just like Hidilyn on her third attempt in Brazil where she also got silver. A little more to go.”

Puentevella is using the same strategy used on Diaz back in 2021 for Ando.

When Diaz competed in the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, she only finished in fourth place in the women’s 55kg event while Chinese lifter Liao Quiyun won the gold.

But when both lifters met again in the Tokyo Olympics, Diaz came out on top while Liao settled for a silver medal.

But for now, Ando will be focusing on her stints in the World Weightlifting Championships in Norway from 1 to 10 October and the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand from 9 to 20 December.