By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
THE future of weightlifting looks bright as a surge of youth and junior athletes are set to compete in the Marianas Weightlifting Open, hosted by CNMI Weightlifting, this Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
Leading the young guns is 13-year-old Hopwood Middle School student Kaizaeah Remoket, who has a personal best of 163 pounds in the Snatch and 200 pounds in the Clean & Jerk.
“My main focus will be to try and focus on what I’m lifting and ignore the audience so I don’t get distracted,” Remoket said during an interview. At first, weightlifting was hard for him, but he has pushed through and grown stronger. When asked how he felt about having other youth lifters around him, he added, “Honestly, it feels good to have challengers because I get to see how strong people my age are.”
Joining Remoket in the youth category are Saipan Southern High School students Jannie Mangloña (14), Jaden Andrew (16), and Lucio Eugenio (16).
In the junior category, 18-year-old badminton player Minul Hoque will test his strength in new territory, with a personal best of 50 kilograms in the Snatch and 60 kilograms in the Clean & Jerk.
“I’ve been trying my best to stay consistent with training while balancing work and school,” Hoque said. “My journey into weightlifting hasn’t been exactly what I envisioned, but it’s been more challenging and rewarding than I expected.”
For 19-year-old Charlson Charley, weightlifting is not just a physical challenge. “I love the mental aspect of weightlifting, and it also helps me gain strength for rugby,” Charley said. “I’ve been training for two weeks straight with three days of rest, focusing on strength training and techniques to achieve better lifts.”
Other participating weightlifters include Marianas High School student David Odicta (18) and Da’Ok Academy students Merriam Fathaangin (19) and Senline Kaipat (19).
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
