Leyte athletes shine in Asian powerlifting contest

TACLOBAN CITY, May 12 – Five Leyte Sports Academy (LSA) scholars, who are members of the Philippine powerlifting team, brought home gold, silver and bronze medals from the recently concluded 2017 Asian Powerlifting Championships held in Bandung, Indonesia.

Andrea Rowella Abrea won four golds in the 47-kilogram (kg) sub-junior division while Veronica Ompod garnered a gold in the bench press, and three silver medals from total lift, deadlift and squat under the 43kg sub-junior category.

Abrea, a native of Matag-ob town in Leyte, doubled her gold win from last year at the 2016 Asian Powerlifting Championships in Udaipur, India.

Last year, Ompod, who also hails from Matag-ob town, also ruled the 43-kilogram sub-junior division of the World Classic Powerlifting Championship with a 90-kilogram squat performance for the Philippines in Kileen, Texas, USA.

Meanwhile, Angela Alferez earned a gold in deadlift, two silvers in bench press at total lift and a bronze for squat under the 63kg sub-junior category.

Daisy Grace Lipasana won four silver medals under the 52kg class while John Kenneth Bais swept all the four bronzes in the 43kg sub-junior category.

Abrea, Ompod and Alferez were also gold medalists in wrestling in the recent 2017 Palarong Pambansa in Aklan, while Lipasana was a silver medalist.

The LSA athletes train with the national team managed by the Powerlifting Association of the Philippines.

The 15-man team of powerlifters brought home a total of 52 medals with 18 gold, 17 silver and 17 bronze.

Meanwhile, Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said on Friday he is proud of the achievements of the sports-scholars of LSA.

“The LSA is a sports program that the province will continue to nurture and grow so that Leyte's young sports goldmines will be given opportunities to compete around the country and in foreign lands,” Petilla told the Philippine News Agency. 

The LSA, which started in 2010, is run by the provincial government to develop local sports talents. It has since produced athletes who are part of national teams that competed in various international competitions. 

(Ahlette C. Reyes/PNA)