AMONG the many Filipino athletes who will be representing the country in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it will be the first time for weightlifter John Febuar Ceniza.
The 26-year-old Cebuano qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after competing at the 61kg division of the International Weightlifting Federation World Cup in Phuket, Thailand last April.
Ceniza lifted 132kg in the snatch category and then 168kg in the clean and jerk. In total, he was able to house 300kg, beating his personal best of 298kg.
His performance was also enough to stay in the Top 10 ranking of athletes in his weight division.
Though before Ceniza’s smooth victory in the prestigious sports competition, his beginning in Cebu served as his uplift.
Ceniza’s life in Cebu
Ceniza had a livelihood as a freight loader or a ‘kargador.’ He would carry bananas, coconuts, and firewood to sustain his daily needs.
It was not until when his brother in school introduced him to a different type of lifting – the sport of weightlifting.
As a result, he bagged gold with a total record of 139kg in the 42kg category of the Batang Pinoy in Bacolod City in 2014.
From there, Ceniza’s sport achievements gave way to academic opportunities. Universities in Manila would reach out to him but he firmly chose his hometown and went to the University of Cebu (UC).
Because of his sheer determination to carry and build his weightlifting career, little did Ceniza know that he had to achieve much in the sport.
Over 200kg wins
Remarkably, Ceniza has built a whirlwind of international wins. In 2019, he secured silver at the Southeast Asian Games in the men’s 55kg category with an overall lift of 252kg.
A year later, at the men’s 61kg category of the 2020 Weightlifting World Cup in Rome, he bagged the bronze medal upon carrying 269kg.
Ceniza also nabbed silver during the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix II in Qatar where he had his now toppled personal best of 298.
A hundred percent effort for Ceniza
Now less than a few weeks before the Paris 2024 Olympics, Ceniza feels the intensity of his training. “One day missed sa (at) training is a big deal,” he told One Sports.
“Mas grabe (It’s more intense). One hundred percent of all your efforts, you pour all of your energy into every training” Ceniza shared with Vogue Philippines.
Amidst the pressure, he is also nursing a neck injury which worsened in Thailand. Still, the weightlifting warrior battles out his condition, being careful not to strain his injury.
As of June 25th, Ceniza continues his training in France with fellow Filipino weightlifters Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno.
Self-motivated
When asked what is his greatest inspiration, John Ceniza would simply say it’s himself.
Carrying his life in Cebu, the wins and experiences over the years, and giving his all in weightlifting practices, it’s no wonder oneself can be a strong source of motivation.
Just like what he said to ABS-CBN News after his recent Thailand performance, “Sinabi ko lang sa sarili ko na kaya ko ito. Talagang nothing is impossible basta work hard lang. Sobrang happy ko.”
(I just told myself that I can do this. Truly nothing is impossible with hard work. I am very glad.)
Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas President Monico Puentevella holds on to Ceniza to possibly lift at the podium in Paris. If done, he would be the first male Filipino weightlifter to bag an Olympic medal.
And with Ceniza’s throwback post on Instagram showing his progress from when he was 15 up until his silver sweep, the Cebuano weightlifter has grown much potential over time.
Full speed ahead at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ceniza will compete in the men’s 61kg category on August 7 at 3 PM, Central European Time.
With reports from Regine Dayao
