San Nicolas: We look forward to bigger things in the future

Jaden Andrew completes a clean & jerk lift during the Northern Marianas Cup Weightlifting Tournament last Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (LEIGH GASES )

The start of the new year brings with it new goals and with the debut of HD Weightlifting CNMI, head coach and weightlifting gold medalist Angel San Nicolas sets high hopes and plans for the young athletes in his team.

After an impressive stint from the young lifters in their first competition during the Northern Marianas Cup Weightlifting Tournament last Saturday, San Nicolas said that “we look forward to bigger things in the future.”

One of the biggest bids that he has for his team this year is for them to be part of the CNMI National Weightlifting Team and to be able to compete in the Micronesian Games and the Pacific Games. “Their [lifting] technique is well refined and it can be better, but they’re more than ready. They can and they’re very capable of representing CNMI,” said San Nicolas.

“The intent is to get a couple of them into the national team for this year, and rightfully so because we don’t have seniors for each weight category, so I feel it’s rightful that [they] put a junior or a youth to fill in that spot… and a couple of the youth in the HD Weightlifting CNMI should make the team as they’ve been working so hard,” said San Nicolas.

The 10th Micronesian Games will be held in July 2023 in Majuro, Marshall Islands, while the 2023 Pacific Games will be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands between Nov. 9 and Dec. 2, 2023.

“I would like the exposure for our kids. They put in the work and they deserve that platform. I understand they only want to put seniors but a lot of these youth and juniors, they put in more work—six days [a week] and imagine, they go to school and they have chores… but they’re spending their time with me and vice versa. So, I really need the community to be behind the sport. We need to gain as much support as we can get as a part of our campaign for this year,” said the four-time gold medalist of the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022.

After the young athletes joined their first qualifier last Saturday, San Nicolas and some members of the HD Weightlifting CNMI are now looking forward to the 2023 Youth, Junior, Senior Olympic Weightlifting Championship in Guam on Feb. 25.

San Nicolas added that he wants Jaden Andrew, a 13-year-old weightlifter that he coaches, to participate in the 2023 IWF World Youth Championship in Durres, Albania from March 25 to April 1. “Hopefully, the [CNMI Weightlifting] Federation can consider sending him,” said San Nicolas. “I want some of them to have international exposure. That’s a part of the experience. We don’t have to wait for them to be seniors. The [CNMI Weightlifting] Federation just has to do their job in selecting and their due diligence in sending athletes to major competitions,” he added.

Andrew competes in the 55- kg category and San Nicolas said that he’s one of the lightest competitors, but that he can squat almost 300 lbs. “I intend to groom them the best that I can until they reach the senior level.”

San Nicolas then gave thanks to Jason Sablan from Get Fit CNMI for the training facility for their HD Weightlifting CNMI team. “I want to give a shout out to those guys because they’re a very big factor into the progress and the body of work of our kids because if it weren’t for them, our kids would have to be paying gym memberships.”