From Cebu to the SEA Games podium, Elreen Ando once again proved her staying power in Southeast Asian weightlifting.
The Cebuana lifter and University of Cebu alumna delivered Team Philippines’ 18th gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games after ruling the women’s 63-kilogram category on Monday at the Chonburi Sports School in Chonburi, Thailand.
Ando posted a total lift of 229 kilograms to dominate the five-woman field, earning the country’s first gold medal from the weightlifting team in the 2025 SEA Games.
The win marked her second SEA Games gold medal, following her triumph in the previous edition in Cambodia where she competed in the women’s 59-kilogram division.
The 27-year-old Olympian established control early in the competition during the snatch segment, keeping herself ahead of the field.
In the clean and jerk, Ando rebounded from a no-lift ruling on her opening attempt at 123 kilograms, successfully hoisted the same weight on her next try, and capped her campaign with a 127-kilogram lift to seal the gold.
Vietnam’s Thi Thuy Tien Nguyen settled for the silver medal after registering 98 kilograms in snatch and 121 kilograms in clean and jerk for a combined 219 kilograms.
Thailand’s Thanaporn Saetia claimed the bronze with a total lift of 218 kilograms.
Ando’s gold came a day after 19-year-old Albert Ian Delos Santos secured a silver medal in the men’s 71-kilogram division, highlighted by a 186-kilogram clean and jerk that established a new world junior mark.
Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, returning to competition after a yearlong layoff, finished fourth in the women’s 58-kilogram category.
