John Ceniza will kick off the country’s Olympic bid carrying the massive expectation of matching or surpassing the achievement posted by Hidilyn Diaz in the previous Summer Games in Tokyo three years ago.
Ceniza will start competing in the men’s 61-kilogram event at 9 p.m. (Manila time) at the South Paris Arena on Wednesday, hoping to make an impact that will set the tone in the campaign of other Filipino lifters in Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno.
The 26-year-old lifter from Cebu City earned a spot in the Summer Games after emerging fifth in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Olympic rankings.
Ceniza trained in Metz, France and in Germany for a month along with Ando and Sarno, who are trying to step out of the giant shadow of Diaz — the first Filipino to win a gold medal in the Olympics.
Ando will start her campaign in the women’s 59-kg event on 8 August at 9 p.m. while Sarno will compete in the women’s 71-kg event on 10 August at 1 a.m.
Ceniza will be facing an elite cast of competitors, leaving him with no choice but to come up with an extraordinary performance if he wants to land on the podium in his Olympic debut.
Tokyo Summer Games gold medalist Li Fabin of China is seen as the favorite to clinch the mint in the French capital after winning the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, South Korea, the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, and the 2024 IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
Another competitor to watch out for is Tokyo Games silver medalist Eko Yuli Irawan of Indonesia, who defeated Ceniza last year in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
Sergio Massidda of Italy will also be a huge challenge for Ceniza as he grabbed the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships silver medal.
Still, weightlifting chief Monico Puentevella believes that Ceniza and other Filipino lifters can handle the pressure and deliver a performance of a lifetime.
“The kids are okay so far. They are training for their respective games,” said Puentevella, who is in Paris to personally monitor his athletes as they apply finishing touches on their Olympic preparation.