THREE Filipino weightlifters won gold medals at the 2025 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Youth and Junior Championships in Lima, Peru on Thursday (Manila time).
Jay R Colonia clinched two gold medals in group A of the men’s youth 49-kilogram class.
He lifted 121 kilograms in the clean and jerk for the gold and a total of 221 kgs for the overall gold medal. He came close to achieving a new meet record at 126 kgs in clean and jerk but was not able to complete the lift.
“I’d never made more than 123 in training, but I nearly did it,” Colonia told the IWF website.
“It was my first international competition so I was a little bit nervous, but I really enjoyed it,” he added.
The 16-year-old Filipino also won a silver medal in the snatch, lifting 94 kgs with Christian di Maria of Italy copping the gold at 99 kgs.
Di Maria’s total lift was one kilogram short of Colonia’s and settled for the silver medal. India’s Harsabardhan Sahu bagged the bronze after lifting 197 kgs.
In the women’s youth 40-kg division, Althea Bacaro bagged the gold in snatch (58 kg), a bronze in clean and jerk (72 kg) and a silver in the overall tally at 130 kgs.
Brazil’s Isanelly Da Silva captured the gold with a total lift of 134 kgs.
In the women’s 45-kg division group A, Alexsandra Ann Diaz, whose father is a cousin of Olympic champion weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, won gold medals in the snatch (70 kgs) and total lift (152 kgs) plus a bronze in clean and jerk (82 kg).
Angeline Colonia, meanwhile, won the silver medal in the snatch and the bronze medal with an overall lift of 160 kg in the junior division of the 45-kg weight class.
China’s Hu Yuhuan, who won gold with an overall lift of 170 kg. and Thailand’s Khemika Kamnoedsri who won silver (161 kg) in the juniors.
The 2025 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Youth and Junior Championships kicked off on Wednesday and will run until May 5, just four days before the Asian Championships that will be held in Jiangshan, China.