Doha, Qatar – Philippines’ John Febuar Ceniza secured a silver medal in the men’s 61kg category at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix II held in Doha, Qatar. Despite ranking fourth in snatch with 133kgs and fifth in clean and jerk at 165kgs, the 25-year-old Cebuano achieved a second-best total lift of 298kgs.
According to Philippines News Agency, South Korean lifter Pak Myong Jin dominated the clean and jerk and total categories, while Chinese competitor Li Fabian led in snatch. Malaysian Mohamad Aniq bin Kasdan and American Hampton Miller Morris won the silver and bronze in clean and jerk, respectively, with Kasdan also securing a bronze in total. Ceniza, a double silver medalist at the SEA Games, set a national record in snatch at the Hangzhou Asian Games and holds national records in clean and jerk and total, established at the Philippine Open. The IWF World Grand Prix II is set to continue with the women’s 59kg category, featuring Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz and SEA Games gold medalist Elreen Ann Ando, with further competitions scheduled in the women’s 71kg category.