Cristobal is best lifter, breaks PBs again

Leowell Cristobal won the best lifter award and broke his personal best in the clean & jerk and overall weight lifted after his competition in the Crestview Bar Slam in Florida.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Airman Leowell Cristobal won gold, was crowned the best lifter, and broke his personal bests—again after his stellar performance in the USAW-sanctioned weightlifting event called Crestview Bar Slam last March 11 at Crestview, Florida. 

In the 67-kg weight class, the 24-year-old broke his clean & jerk personal best after he successfully lifted 140 kg in his last attempt. The other personal best he broke was his total weight lifted which is now 240 kg. His current personal best at the snatch is 102 kg.

In the snatch portion, the Saipan native lifted 93 kg, missed 98 kg, and successfully lifted 100 kg. His other clean & jerk numbers were 128 kg and 135 kg.

For the best lifter award, Cristobal had the highest sinclair score out of all the lifters with 325. The score is obtained by multiplying the lifter’s snatch and clean & jerk total by a coefficient which is based on body weight. 

The now Florida resident competed against 47 other lifters and said he was surprised he got the best lifter award as “many of them were really good.” He added, “[I’m] overall pretty happy with my performance. Getting the award means that I’m progressing in the right direction.” He also gave a happy advanced 30th anniversary to his mom and dad.

Just recently, Cristobal won gold and broke his previous personal bests at the Miami Classic Weightlifting Competition in conjunction with Wodapalooza last Jan. 15 in Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida.

There, he lifted his snatch personal best of 102 kg and had the highest sinclair score of 322 after his total weight lifted of 236 kg.

In the Mini Games last June, Cristobal handed the CNMI its first silver medal of the games after lifting 125 kg in the clean & jerk. 

He didn’t stop there as right after, he won two silver medals in the U.S. Weightlifting U25 Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada last July. His best lift was 126 kg in the clean & jerk.

Then, the medals kept coming for Cristobal as he topped his weight group in the Buccaneer Barbell Bash weightlifting meet in Florida last October. He bagged the gold medal in the 67-kg division after totaling 223 kg. He lifted 96 kg in the snatch and 127 kg in the clean & jerk.

Cristobal enlisted in the U.S. Air Force for two years before he got accepted into the Air Force Academy in 2018. It was at the academy where he started a weightlifting club. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy on May 25, 2022, with a bachelor of science degree in Behavioral Sciences. He entered the Air Force as a commissioned officer and second lieutenant.

Aside from weightlifting, Cristobal also shines in his military career, having received the top former regular enlisted graduate award, and the Horner Award with the highest class honors.