THIS year’s Marianas Cup hosted by CNMI Weightlifting on Saturday at the newly renovated Ada gym was a true test of strength.
In the open division, the CNMI and Guam won five gold medals each.
Although most weight classes only had one competitor, the athletes still gave a good show of power and control.
The CNMI’s Raymond Santos performed solo in the 67kg weight class and recorded his best snatch of 95kg and clean & jerk record of 120kg for a total weight of 215 to win the host’s first gold medal.
The CNMI’s Leonardo Apelo Jr. also won gold in the 89kg with a snatch of 120 and clean & jerk of 160kg for a total of 280kg while teammate Joseph Pangelinan claimed silver with a snatch of 83kg and a clean & jerk of 102kg for a total weight of 185kg.
The CNMI’s Angel San Nicolas went solo in the 96kg weight class and recorded a snatch of 110kg and a clean & jerk of 150kg for a total weight of 260kg to earn a gold medal while team mate Jason Limes notched the CNMI’s fourth gold in the 109kg weight class with a snatch of 122kg and clean & jerk of 150kg for a total weight of 272kg, beating Guam’s Peter San Nicolas who recorded a snatch of 110kg and clean & jerk of 140kg for a total weight of 250kg to take home the silver medal.
The CNMI’s David Barnhouse lifted a snatch of 100kg and a clean & jerk of 120kg for a total weight of 220kg which earned him a bronze medal.
In the male youth and junior divisions, the CNMI and Guam won three gold medals each.
Guam’s Duena Danford topped the 61kg weight class with a snatch of 60kg and clean & jerk of 85kg for a total weight of 145kg, beating the CNMI’s Jaden Andrew who recorded a snatch of 64kg and clean & jerk of 79kg for a total weight of 143kg to earn a silver medal.
Ezekiel Cabaccang, who participated in the same weight class but for the junior division, collected the second gold for Guam with a snatch of 90kg and clean & jerk of 110kg for a total weight of 200kg while Malachi Lujan, also of Guam, took gold in the junior division 73kg weight class with a snatch of 55kg and clean & jerk of 76kg for a total weight of 131kg.
For his part, the CNMI’s Aiden Gimed won gold in the 73kg weight class with a snatch of 66kg and clean & jerk of 77kg for a total weight of 143kg while team mate Joseph Pangelinan earned two gold medals for the youth and junior divisions with a snatch of 83kg and clean & jerk of 102kg for a total weight of 185kg.
David Bautista, 33, from Guam shared his thoughts about this year’s Marianas Cup. “Honestly, I came here for the cohesion and working together with Saipan because I want this competition to be a big thing in the Micronesia,” he said. “I’m really excited and ecstatic for it.”
Bautista said it was “fun to see other competitors and make new friends.”
Th CNMI’s Jason Limes was not satisfied with his performance.
“The competition was great,” he said, “but I was not feeling 100% ready. I had been so busy with work that I had to miss some training days. But being in that warmup room with the rest of the athletes changed my whole mood and helped me get hyped up.”
He increased his snatch personal record by 1kg and his competition total by 6kg. “It was fun competing at home with my family there watching me,” he said. “The overall vibe in the warmup room was amazing too. It felt like just another heavy training day for us. We stayed focus but we still had fun.”
Although the Micronesian Games set for June have been postponed, Limes said it will give him more time to train for the Pacific Games.
“Training is about to get a lot harder from now on,” he said. “I know I’m going to have to push myself even more if I want to do good in these upcoming games.”
The female division winners will be featured in Variety’s next edition.
Guam’s Ethan Elwell is successful with his snatch attempt of 145kg during the CNMI Weightlifting Marianas Cup on Saturday at the Ada gym.
The CNMI’s Jason Limes attempts a snatch of 122kg during the CNMI Weightlifting Marianas Cup on Saturday at the Ada gym.
