Big shoes to fill in: Vanessa Sarno looks to cop gold in her first Olympic stint

Earmarked as the heir apparent to the sole Philippine Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, Vanessa Sarno has definitely big shoes to fill in her first Olympic Games.

The 20-year-old weightlifting prodigy guaranteed her spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics after flashing a remarkable performance in the women’s 71 kilograms category at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup held in Phuket, Thailand last April.

Sarno solidified her Olympic aspirations by shattering her previous record in snatch with 110 kg and cleared 135 kg in the clean and jerk for a total lift of 245 kg to finish fifth in the tournament that served as the last qualifying event for Olympic weightlifting.

The Bohol native has been anointed as the predecessor to Tokyo gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz after beating and surpassing record marks in the regional and global levels.

Sarno made history after her smashing debut in the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. She single-handedly ruled the -71 kg class with a performance for the ages, lifting 104 kg for snatch and 135 kg in the clean and jerk, registering a total of 239 kilograms, which was tallied as a new SEA Games and Philippine records.

In her much-awaited debut at the Paris Olympics, Sarno is looking to replicate her previous successes and deliver a medal for the Philippines.

Now ranked No. 5 in the world, Sarno may be one of the favorites to win a medal but getting a podium finish in her first trip to the Olympics will be easier said than done as she will be facing a tough field bannered by the likes of world champions Loredana Toma of Romania and Neama Said of Egypt as well as Tokyo Games bronze medalist Chen Wen-huei of Chinese Taipei.

Fans will be able to watch Sarno compete on August 10 on the Smart Livestream App.