CNMI weightlifting team member Angel San Nicolas has always made his presence known whether in a local or international competition, but he remains humble and is hoping to improve further.
San Nicolas’s love for weightlifting started when he was already in his early 20’s at Gold’s Gym Saipan.
“I started too late that’s for sure,” he said, adding that it was his gym buddies Raymond Santos and Enrico Valdez who sparked the fire within. “They we’re doing snatches, and I thought it looked easy. I tried to do it myself, and I almost got hurt,” San Nicolas recalled.
Since then, he has become one of the top athletes in his weight class, hauling in gold medals at various local tournaments. He has also emerged victorious at Guam weightlifting championships and the 9th Micronesian Games.
One of his memorable experiences, he said, was training with weightlifting kids of Pep Project in the Philippines.
As for the medals he has won over the years, he said, “I put them away to remind myself that I’m nothing in the sport. That mindset pushes me to do better than what I can do now.”
As a member of the CNMI team that will compete in the upcoming Pacific Mini Games, he expects some tough competition. “They’re strong! They’re definitely way ahead of me, and I know where I stand among the best of Oceania…. I don’t plan to win a medal, but I’m just going to do the best I can on competition day.”
What matters to San Nicolas is putting in the work, and that is what he is currently doing by training six days each week.
“I wake up, eat, lift baby weights, then go to sleep,” he added.
When training, “I’m focused on myself and those that train with me. I don’t care about anything or anyone else,” he said.
San Nicolas’s current personal best is a snatch of 40kg and clean & jerk of 50kg for a total of 90kg.
Angel San Nicolas attempts a clean & jerk during practice.
