Jaden Andrew in action during the snatch portion of the qualifier competition hosted by CNMI Weightlifting last month.
Aiden Gimed stands strong after completing the snatch during the qualifier competition hosted by CNMI Weightlifting last month.
THREE young weightlifters — Cheyanne Manuel, Jaden Andrew and Aiden Gimed — have their eyes set on a weightlifting competition on Guam that will serve as a qualifier for the Micronesian and Pacific Games which will be held later this year.
Manuel comes from a family of lifters as his younger brother and older sister also share love for the sport.
Manuel said she is eager to seize an opportunity to be part of the NMI weightlifting national team while pushing forward.
“At the least, I do want to beat my personal best,” she said. “I’m excited because it’s my first time to go off island and compete.”
Her ultimate goal of course is “to make the national team.”
When Manuel trains, she said she does not think about the competition, but is more focused on technique and improvement.
Manuel topped the women 64 weight class in the qualifier event held last month by CNMI Weightlifting. She had two lifts of 55kg and 64kg in the snatch portion, and 75kg and 80kg in the clean & jerk for a total weight of 141kg.
Eleven-year-old Jaden Andrew also excelled in the qualifiers last month with three clean lifts in the snatch portion starting at 55kg and then 60kg and 63kg to break his personal best.
He nearly perfected the clean & jerk with a lift of 65kg and 70kg, but failed in his third attempt of 80kg for a total weight of 133kg.
It is also Andrew’s first time to travel off island for a competition. “I feel excited,” he said. “I’ve been training for about two months. I’ve been working on my technique and getting stronger.”
He added, “I think the competition is tough but I hope I will do good. My parents support weightlifting.”
During last month’s qualifiers, Gimed broke his personal best when he competed in the men 89 weight class against three other competitors.
Although he placed fourth, he notched a personal record with three clean lifts in the snatch portion at 45kg, 53kg and 60kg.
“I’m excited and nervous at the same time,” he said, referring to the competition on Guam which is set for Feb. 25. “I feel like the competition will be good but I’m nervous.”
He added, “My parents really pushed me to do this and Coach Angel [San Nicolas] is the best coach — he pushes me to go harder and fixes my form.”
Cheyanne Manuel prepares for the second portion of the clean & jerk during the qualifier competition hosted by CNMI Weightlifting last month.
