Leowell Cristobal completes the clean & jerk portion of the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation Grand Prix II in Doha, Qatar.
Cheyanne Manuel completes her snatch attempt during the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation Grand Prix II in Doha, Qatar.
THE NMI’S Leowell Cristobal and Cheyanne Manuel had the privilege of competing with the best in the world, placing 9th and 12th in their respective weight classes at the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation Grand Prix II, which was held on Dec. 4-14 in Doha, Qatar.
Cristobal, who also competed in the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands, tested his strength in the 67kg weight class.
In the snatch portion, the NMI athlete failed to lift 91kg, but recovered in his second attempt with a lift of 94kg to reach 12th place. In the transition to the clean & jerk, Cristobal started with a lift of 131kg but failed in his second attempt of 137kg. He then completed his third attempt of 138kg to hold a total weight of 232kg, and 9th place overall.
“Overall, I’m happy with my performance and I’m grateful to be given this opportunity to compete among the best,” he said. “There’s a lot of lessons learned for sure that I’ll take with me to continue to improve.”
Cristobal said he was “pretty nervous coming into the Grand Prix, but being able to compete in the Pacific Games beforehand was beneficial and helped improved my confidence.”
Manuel also tested her strength after attending the HD Weightlifting Academy training camp conducted by Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
Manuel competed in the A session of the 64kg weight class where she recorded her best snatch of 66kg and clean & jerk of 82kg for a total weight of 148kg to place 12th overall.
