32nd SEA Games: Vanessa Sarno breaks personal record as PH closes Day 10 with five golds
2023-May-16 08:29
2024-Jul-16 12:09
Filipino weightlifter Vanessa Sarno (PHOTO: TEAM PHILIPPINES)
Weightlifter Vanessa Sarno broke her personal record at the Hanoi 2021 Games, leading the Philippines to secure five gold medals on Day 10 of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games on Monday, May 15, in Cambodia.
Sarno shattered her previous SEA Games record in the women's 71-kilogram category, while Filipino arnisadors Dexler Bolambao and Maria Ella Alcoseba delivered a pair of gold medals.
Maria Vergara also proved that age doesn't matter as she clinched the freestyle wrestling title, while Jean Claude Saclag continued his dominance in kickboxing's low kick event for the third consecutive time.
At just 19 years of age, Sarno showcased her prowess in her division by topping anew the women's 71kg crown with a record-breaking performance.
She dominated the competition from start to finish, lifting 105 kilograms in the snatch to surpass her previous best by one kilogram. In the same event last year, Sarno lifted 104 kgs.
In her first attempt, Sarno sealed her victory by completing a 120kg lift in the clean and jerk. She secured the gold with 225 total kgs carried and decided not to execute any further attempts.
On Sunday, May 14, 24-year-old Erleen Ando highlighted the bright future of Philippine weightlifting by setting new records in the women's 98 kgs category for snatch, clean and jerk, and total.
In arnis, Bolambao secured the men's bantamweight full-contact live stick title for the second consecutive SEA Games, defeating Cambodia's Ty Brakponlue by unanimous decision (UD), 3-0.
Meanwhile, Alcoseba emerged as the gold medalist in the women's event, outlasting Myanmar's Moe Moe Aye with a similar verdict.
With these victories, the arnis national team contributed four gold medals to the country's tally. The day before, Charlotte Tolentino and Jedah Mae Soriano claimed the women's bantamweight and lightweight crowns, respectively.
Returning from retirement, Vergara became a three-time SEA Games gold medalist by defeating home bet Sambat Vannak, 12-2, in the women's 65kg freestyle wrestling finals. Despite being a last-minute replacement for an injured Filipino player, Vergara proved that age doesn't matter to succeed. In her prime, she won back-to-back championships in the same division during Vietnam 2003 and Manila 2015 before retiring in 2007.
In kickboxing, Saclag secured the men's 63.5kg low kick title with a unanimous decision (UD) victory over Cambodian San Rakim, securing the Philippines' 51st gold medal. Representing Team Lakay, the native of Lubuangan, Kalinga, effortlessly outperformed Rakim.
Despite increasing their gold collection to 51, along with 77 silvers and 105 bronzes, the Philippines remained in fifth place in the medal tally two days before the formal end of Cambodia 2023 as of 12:10 a.m., May 16.
Reigning overall champion Vietnam maintained the top position with 123 golds, 100 silvers, and 98 bronzes. Thailand followed in second place with 94-76-93, while Indonesia secured third place with 74-67-92.
Cambodia fell three gold medals short of third place Indonesia, securing 68 silvers and 113 bronzes to hold the fourth spot. Singapore placed sixth with 45 golds, 38 silvers, and 57 bronzes.