THE Philippines has a new rising star to watch, as teenage weightlifter Albert Ian Delos Santos broke a world record at the 2025 IWF World Championships held over the weekend in Forde, Norway.
The 2025 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting gold medalist made history by setting a new junior world record in the clean and jerk, lifting 185 kilograms on his third attempt in the 71 kg category.
Despite this feat, Delos Santos placed eighth overall, lifting 136 kg in the snatch — 12 kilograms below the junior world standard — and 185 kg in the clean and jerk, totaling 322 kg, which is 6 kilos short of the standard.
On the other hand, Thailand’s Weeraphon Wichuma claimed gold with a 346 kg total lift, followed by Japan’s Masanori Miyamoto with 345 kg for silver, and China’s He Yueji securing bronze with 344 kg.
Confidence is Key
Based on a report from the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) website, Delos Santos was certain he could lift 185 kg even before the competition started—showing that confidence is key.
“Promising to get a world record makes me sound cocky, which I’m not, but that was pretty special,” Delos Santos said in a report on the IWF website.
“My big target here was making the top ten and hitting that 185. There’s plenty more improvement in me, and I know I need to find 15 kilos more in snatch. But things are going well,” he added.
Following this achievement, Delos Santos is now focused on the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand this December. On Instagram, coach Julius Naranjo praised Delos Santos for his record-setting performance and expressed his confidence in the young lifter.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and progress in training. Our preparation is always for the platform and you’ve worked hard and earned your spot as one of the best juniors in the world at just 19 years old,” Naranjo said.
“You’ve worked hard for this and have been patient with your progress after years of building our trust and foundations together with your parents, and coach @getjeked . Needless to say, our team is learning and getting better every competition,” he added.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Delos Santos shared a piece of advice from his coaches that he always keeps in mind, especially now as his weightlifting career continues to advance.
“It’s just to trust. Trust the process, trust your coach, trust your teammates. Yeah no matter how hard it gets in training and life, you just gotta trust the process and everything will work it your way. I’ve been taking that to the extreme and so far it’s been great,” he said.
