From freight loader to weightlifting champion: John Ceniza eyes breakthrough in Olympic debut

John Ceniza’s journey to the Olympics was one borne out of hard work, sacrifice, and literally carrying around different goods before being able to carry the hopes of a nation hungry for Olympic success.

The 26-year-old Cebuano athlete is the first male weightlifter since 2016 who will be representing the Philippines in the Olympic Games.

Ceniza secured his first ticket to the Paris Olympics after a strong performance in the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup men’s 61kg event in Phuket, Thailand last April.

Ceniza lifted 132 kg in the snatch category and then 168 kg in the clean and jerk. In total, he was able to register a total lift of 300 kilograms, toppling his personal best of 298 kilograms during the 2023 IWF Grand Prix II in Qatar.

Ceniza’s powerful and outstanding delivery in these prestigious sports competitions rooted from his humble beginnings of being a freight loader or a ‘kargador’ as a source of his livelihood. He would carry bananas, coconuts, and firewood to sustain his daily needs.

It was not until his brother introduced him to a different type of lifting - the sport of weightlifting, where he bagged his first-ever gold medal with a total record of 139kg in the 42 kg category of Batang Pinoy in Bacolod City in 2014.

Because of his sheer determination to carry and build his weightlifting career, Ceniza built a whirlwind of international wins.

In 2019, he nabbed silver at the Southeast Asian Games in the men’s 55kg category with an overall lift of 252 kg. A year later, at the men’s 61 kg category of the 2020 Weightlifting World Cup in Rome, he bagged the bronze medal upon carrying 269 kg.

He is the third weightlifter from Cebu to represent the country in the Olympics after Elreen Ando in Tokyo 2020 and national team coach Ramon Solis in Seoul 1988.

Bringing his experience and determination to the Olympic stage, Ceniza is eyeing to make history by becoming the first Filipino male lifter to win an Olympic gold medal.

Ceniza’s shot at that coveted gold medal will be in the men’s 61 kilograms competition of the Paris games on August 7.