TASHKENT, Uzbekistan.- Just a few weeks after the death of Soraya Jimenez, the first mexican woman who won an Olympic Gold Medal officially in the Games of Sydney 2000, Mexico’s weighlifting program has shown the potential of new generations of athletes.
At the IWF Youth World Championships celebrated in this country young girls like Ana Lilia Duran and Janeth Gomez reached the podium to be among the best of the world. These two girls have something in common: they were made at the “Olimpiada Nacional,” a name given to the National Junior Olympic program that was born in the decade of the nineties.
Duran represents Baja California in the national stage. Gomez represents Jalisco. Every year the National Junior Olympic Championship takes place somewhere in Mexico, these two regions live a fierce rivalry.
Today, “Lily” and Janeth are on the same team: their country.
In a nation where football takes it all, they show another face of sports and gender. They are young, they are strong and they represent the female population.
Janeth was the first one to take action. Finished with 72 kilograms in the snatch, 95 in clean and jerk and 167 in total as part of the 53 kilograms division. Chinese Binglian Lin and North Korea’s Un Sim Rim won gold and silver, respectively.
A day after Ana Lilia, won two bronce medals in the 58 kilograms division. One totalizing a lift of 191 kilograms, and 107 in clean and jerk. In the snatch, she finished with 84 kilograms.
The first place was for China’s Wei Chengyu who registered 85 in snatch, 109 in clean and jerk and 194 in total. Thailand’s Kamonchanok Intamat finished with 86-108 and 194. The difference between silver and gold was of only 50 grams.
Chengyu entered the competition with a body weight of 57.01 kilograms and Intamat with 57.51. Duran’s weight was 57.87.
The Mexican was the best representative of the Americas in a competition dominated by Asians. Maria Nantip from Ecuador finished in the 14 place and Maria Heylsime Asuncion Tiongson of the United States was ranked 14.
For Duran this was another Milestone in her young career. The native of Mexicali (a city located close the US-Mexico Border) born in 1997 has an impressive record in International Weighlifting Federation competitions.
In 2012 she finished in the first position at the IWF Youth World Championships in Slovakia and was ranked second at the Pan American Youth Championship. At these two competitions she was in the 53 kilograms division. Now she competes in the 58 kilograms category.