Delos Santos, Peralta win weightlifting golds

FILIPINO weightlifters continue to shine in the second day of action at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) 2025 World Youth and Junior Championships in Peru.

Albert Ian Delos Santos claimed two gold medals in the men's 67-kilogram junior category on Friday (Manila time).

Delos Santos lifted 134 kilograms to place 4th overall in snatch but bounced back with a gold medal performance in clean and jerk with a lift of 175 kgs. He also bagged the overall gold with a combined weight of 309 kgs.

He finished ahead of Yang Jinwen of China (307 kgs) and Diyorbek Ruzmetov (302 kgs) of Uzbekistan.

"I knew I could do it. I had a bad time with my back injury last year, everything was so dark for a time. But I got a lot of help, I was excused by my university to prepare for these championships and I put total concentration into it," delos Santos said, citing his injury.

He also thanked his mother Diwa and coach, Julius Naranjo, the husband and coach of Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz.

"It has all taken a lot of time. The last time I made a total it was in 2023 when I was still a 61 (kg). All that's happened since then ... that's the beauty of sport, really," he said.

Meanwhile, Jhodie Peralta dominated the women's 55-kg Youth category by sweeping all three gold medals.

Peralta topped the snatch with a lift of 84 kgs, the clean and jerk at 104 kg, and the combined lift of 188 kgs to rule her category.

Rosalinda Faustino, on the other hand, did not finish in the women's 49-kg juniors event.