FIVE NMI lifters won gold medals in the Olympic Weightlifting Championships at the Barrigada Readiness Center on Guam Saturday.
In the men’s open division, the NMI’s Leonardo Apelo Jr., Angel San Nicolas and Jason Limes topped their respective weight categories.
Apelo, who ruled the open male 81kg category, showcased his power right from the start as he successfully lifted 120kg in his first attempt of the snatch portion.
He failed to lift his next two attempts at 125kg, but his initial lift was more than enough to put him ahead of the competition with nearly a 30kg advantage.
In the clean & jerk portion, Apelo started with 145kg, but failed in his next two attempts.
Still, with a total weight of 265kg, Apelo claimed the top spot by a mile, to hand the NMI its first gold medal in the open division.
Also competing in the open male 81kg was the NMI’s Raymond Olopai with a snatch of 87kg and clean & jerk of 97 for a total weight of 184 to settle for the bronze medal.
Another NMI lifter, Aiden Gimed, finished fourth with a snatch of 65 and a clean & jerk of 70 for a total weight of 135kg.
The NMI’s second gold medal was won by Angel San Nicolas in the open male 102kg category.
Although he was the only competitor, he still gave it his all with a lift of 120kg and 124kg before failing his third lift of 127kg in the snatch portion. He continued with two more lifts of 160kg and 1654kg before letting the third lift of 170kg slip away in the clean & jerk for a total weight of 289kg.
In the open male 109kg category, Jason Limes provided the NMI’s third gold medal with three snatches of 110kg, 116kg and 121kg, and 145kg in the clean & jerk for a total weight of 266kg.
In the women’s division, Cheyanne Manuel won another gold medal for the NMI by taking first in the open female 65kg category.
She failed in her first attempt of 64kg but recovered in her second and pushed for 68kg in her third and final attempt in the snatch.
In the clean & jerk, she lifted 75kg, missed 80kg and recovered in the third attempt for a total weight of 148kg.
The NMI’s fifth gold medal was acquired by Antonette Labausa in the open female 81kg category. She had a near-perfect run, lifting 70kg, 74kg and 77kg in the snatch followed by lifts of 92kg, 96kg in the clean & jerk while missing 100kg for a total weight of 173kg.
Riella Ichiuo also competed in the same category with lifts of 60kg, and 65kg. She missed 70kg in the snatch, but pushed for 80kg, 85kg and a missed lift of 90kg in the clean & jerk for a total weight of 150kg.
The Olympic Weightlifting Championships served as a qualifier for NMI lifters who want to be part of the delegation that will compete in the 2023 Micronesian Games and the 2023 Pacific Games.
NMI weightlifters pose for a photo with the other participants of the Olympic Weightlifting Championships at the Barrigada Readiness Center on Guam Saturday.
