MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday lauded the Philippine Powerlifting Team for their successful showing during the 2022 Southeast Asian Cup in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
“Iba ang lakas ng Pilipino! Ating binibigyang-pugay ang mga atletang Pilipino na lumahok sa Men’s and Women’s Open and Junior category ng 2022 Southeast Asian Cup sa bansang Malaysia (The strength of Filipinos is something else! We pay tribute to the Filipino athletes who participated in the Men’s and Women’s Open and Junior category of the 2022 Southeast Asian Cup in the country of Malaysia),” Marcos said in his official Facebook page.
The Filipino team won 78 medals, including 44 gold, 17 silver, and 17 bronze in the Open and Junior categories for men and women.
“Maraming salamat sa karangalang inyong nakamit para sa ating bansa. Mabuhay kayo at lahat ng atletang Pilipino (Thank you very much for the honor you have achieved for our country. Long live to you and all Filipino athletes),” he added.
Powerlifting Association of the Philippines president Eddie Torres stated that the Filipino team already had an idea how they would perform based on nominations.
“We did pretty good as expected but still kahit na (even if it was) expected very happy tayo diyan sa resulta (we’re happy with the results),” he said in an interview on PTV-4.
According to Torres, the Philippine Powerlifting Team’s recent performance shows that the country is one of the “powerhouses” in powerlifting.
The Philippine Powerlifting Team is now preparing for the Asian Championships in December.
The International Powerlifting Federation, Asian Powerlifting Federation, and Malaysian Association for Powerlifting organized the SEA Cup, held from September 15 to 18.
Powerlifting is a barbell strength sport in which the goal is to lift the heaviest weight in the in the Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift.
