HD Weightlifting Camp youth to compete in Guam tourney

HD Weightlifting Camp CNMI head coach Angel San Nicolas, left, watches Cheyanne Manuel, right, Aiden Gimed, second right, and Jaden Andrew, second left, during their training session last Friday night at the Get Fit CNMI Gym in Gualo Rai. (LEIGH GASES)

Young weightlifters of the HD Weightlifting Camp coached by Angel San Nicolas will compete in their first off-island competition this Saturday, Feb. 25, in Guam’s 2023 Youth, Junior, Senior, Olympic Weightlifting Championships.

Twenty-one-year-old Cheyanne Manuel, 13-year-old Jaden Andrew, and 12-year-old Aiden Gimed are amped up and ready for their second weightlifting qualifier for the chance to join the CNMI National Weightlifting Team in the 2023 Micronesian and Pacific Games.

Manuel is competing in the senior 64-kg weight class, Andrew is in the youth 55kg, and Gimed is in the youth 81kg.

According to San Nicolas, who is also competing in Guam in the 102-kg weight class, training hasn’t stopped for his team. They train about a couple of hours a day, six out of seven days from Monday to Saturday.

For Manuel, whose younger siblings Anniegail and Kiien are also weightlifters, her goal is to break her personal bests in the competition. Her PB for snatch is 68kg, while her clean & jerk is 81kg.

She said that as of right now, heading into her first competition off-island, “it hasn’t really hit me yet. I guess it will hit when I’m there. But as of right now, I’m just trying to get into the mental state of ‘hey, you have to compete, you got to make your weight, and you have to place’. I hope to place but I really don’t know who my competition is and I guess that’s a good thing—but I’m just excited.”

When asked if she’s ready for the Micronesian Games in June and the Pacific Games in November, she said she’s not lifting the weight that she wants yet, but that she’s getting there.

The Army reservist topped the women’s 64-kg weight class in the first qualifier event held last month by the CNMI Weightlifting Federation. She had two lifts of 55kg and 64kg in the snatch portion, and 75kg and 80kg in the clean & jerk for a total weight of 141kg.

For Andrew, a middle school student at Dandan Middle School, he said that he is also excited for the chance to compete in Guam. Right now, his PBs for the snatch is 63kg, while the clean & jerk is 80kg.

As to how he balances school and training, he said he does his homework first and then trains. He added that he likes the sport because he gets to push himself and instead of just staying at home not doing anything. 

He thanked his coach “for coaching everyday and for Get Fit CNMI for letting us use their facility to train.”

In the first weightlifting qualifier last month, Andrew topped the 61-kg weight class after missing only one lift in his last attempt at the clean & jerk of 80kg. His successful lifts in the snatch and clean & jerk were 55kg, 60kg, 63kg, 65kg, and 70kg.

For Gimed, he said that he is excited to compete and that he is looking forward to traveling which is a big plus as well. “It will be a good experience for me. I really like the sport and I do like traveling,” said Gimed.

Gimed has been training for almost a year and said that he immediately liked the sport when he tried it out. His auntie in Palau was also an Olympic weightlifter, while his mom does crossfit.

He then thanked his coach “for bringing me into the sport and my mom for pushing me to this.”

In the first weightlifting qualifier, Gimed placed fourth in the 89-kg division after lifting a total of 120kg. He missed only one attempt and successfully lifted 45kg, 53kg, and 60kg in the snatch, and lifted 55kg and 60kg in the clean & jerk.

San Nicolas was asked how the team will do and he said “they are ready now. Right now, they’re in shape. They will do great. I expect a podium finish for them. But you know, before the platform in the warm up area, I’ll be with them. But once they’re on the platform, nobody else can lift the weights for them but themselves. So it’s really them against themselves.”

In Guam’s competition, competitors from Guam, Palau, and the CNMI will vie for podium finishes.
Next month, the CNMI Weightlifting Federation will host its last weightlifting qualifier, the Marianas Cup 2023 on March 25 at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.