Elreen Ann Ando delivered a gritty performance at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships on Sunday in Forde, Norway, clinching a bronze medal in the clean and jerk category of the women’s 63 kg division.
The 26-year-old Cebuana, a two-time Olympian, hoisted 131 kilograms in the clean and jerk, edging out Colombia’s Yenny Sinisterra Torres, who managed 128 kgs.
However, Torres came up with 103 kgs versus Ando’s 100 kgs in the snatch, resulting in a tie at 231 kgs total. The tiebreak favored Torres, who reached the total in her first attempt, relegating Ando to fourth place overall.
Despite missing the podium in the snatch and total lift, Ando, from Carreta, Cebu City, and seen as the successor to Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, showed progress ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics.
North Korea’s Ri Suk topped the event, sweeping the three gold medals with a commanding 253 kg total – 111 kg in snatch and 142 kg in clean and jerk.
Canadian Olympian Maude Charron bagged the silver, lifting 236 kgs (103 kg snatch, 133 kg clean and jerk).
Ando represented the Philippines in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing seventh in the women’s 64 kg category.
Silver medalist in the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Southeast Asian Games, Ando bagged gold at the 2023 SEAG in the 59 kg class, before returning to the Olympic stage in Paris 2024, where she placed sixth.