MANILA, Philippines – As much as weightlifter John Ceniza wanted to put on a show for the Philippines in his Olympic debut, his injury-riddled body just refused to cooperate.
A nagging shoulder injury took its toll on Ceniza as he endured a quick end to his Paris Games run after he failed to make a lift in the snatch portion of the men’s 61kg division at the South Paris Arena on Wednesday, August 7.
Setting his starting weight at 125kg, Ceniza registered a DNF (did not finish) as he used up his three attempts in the round without making a successful clearance.
He broke into tears backstage after getting eliminated.
“My adrenaline shot up, but the pain from my injury prevailed. No matter how hard I focused, I cannot control the pain,” said Ceniza in Filipino in an interview with Olympic broadcaster Cignal.
After completing a 3-0 sweep of the group phase, Team USA’s quest for a fifth consecutive gold-medal finish moves along as it takes on Brazil in a knockout quarterfinal match
“But I still tried to compete for the Philippines. I continue to fight despite my injury. I continue to fight for the Philippines.”
It was a frustrating turn of events for Ceniza, considering he finished fifth in the Olympic Qualification Ranking of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
The 26-year-old Cebuano cleared 132kg in snatch and 168kg in clean and jerk for a total of 300kg in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, in April to punch his Olympic ticket.
His 300kg total would have netted an Olympic bronze.
China’s Li Fabin defended his crown with a 310kg total, Thailand’s Theerapong Silachai bagged silver with 303kg, while the USA’s Hampton Morris claimed bronze with 298kg.
A two-time silver medalist in the Southeast Asian Games, Ceniza said he is aiming for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“Thank you to everyone who supported me. I apologize to all of the Filipinos whom I failed in this Olympics. But I will do my best to qualify again for the next Olympics,” he said.
With Ceniza suffering a heartbreak, Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno take the spotlight as Philippine weightlifting looks to deliver again three years after Hidilyn Diaz won the country its first-ever Olympic gold in the Tokyo Games.
Ando will compete in the women’s 59kg class on Thursday, August 8, while Sarno will see action in the women’s 71kg category on Friday, August 9.
