Delos Santos sets new junior world records in Ningbo

MANILA, Philippines — Albert Ian Delos Santos finished out of the podium in the 2026 IWF World Weightlifting Championships, but delivered a promising performance by shattering two junior world records in the men’s 70-kilogram (kg) division in Ningbo, China. The 20-year-old Asian Junior champion came off a bronze finish in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and was not over in setting new records as he eclipsed his previous world junior record He lifted a total of 331kg, built on 144kg in the snatch and 187kg in the clean and jerk. to surpass his previous total lift of 324kg that he made in the Asian Games. He also eclipsed his own record in the clean and jerk of 183kg. To put the 331 kg total into perspective, it is almost equivalent to the weight of a standard grand piano, an average commercial soda vending machine, or about 11 golden retrievers. First Filipina Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz formerly lauded Delos Santos and knew that he was meant to reach greater heights “Ian is one of our future Olympian gold medalist in the Philippines, as you can see he’s a junior world record holder, then he won here at 20 years old, competing in Asian Games, and...