Pecante makes RP history

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s top powerlifter has added another milestone in a record-breaking career that will likely be unsurpassed for several lifetimes.

Lily Pecante, 45, became the first and only Philippine lifter – man or woman – to book a top three finish at the World Open by claiming the bronze medal in the overall total category of the 90-kilogram class in Haryana, India, recently.

No other local has captured a medal in the prestigious annual event. This year’s competition brought in 173 lifters from 32 countries.

At the 2001 World Open, Pecante took fourth place in the total standings even as she claimed the gold medal in deadlift with a heave of 468 pounds.

In powerlifting, a competitor is ranked in the overall category by adding his or her best valid lifts in the squat, bench press and deadlift events.

It wasn’t an easy bronze medal for Pecante, ranked No. 3 in the world. The issue wasn’t settled until the final lifts and Pecante barely held off New Zealand’s Jackie Buckley.

Russia’s Valeria Shcheglova won the gold medal and the Netherlands’ Ielja Strik settled for the silver.

In all, Pecante lifted a total of 1,196 pounds to break her own Asian Masters and Philippine Open records. She remains the only Filipina powerlifter ever to lift at least 1,000 pounds in the three events.

“I was very happy when I won the Philippines’ first gold medal in an individual event at the 2001 World Open but I finished only fourth overall that year,” said Pecante who owns 28 Philippine and 11 Asian standards. “I couldn’t break out of finishing fourth despite winning gold medals in individual events. But now, I’m happier because I won the bronze in the total category. It’s a higher achievement than my gold medal in deadlift in 2001.”

Pecante credited coach Eddie Torres, the Powerlifting Association of the Philippines (PAP) president, for providing the right advice to secure the bronze medal. She said it was Torres’ “diskarte” that made the difference in her lift.

Torres accompanied Pecante for the first time at the World Open. His presence was inspirational. Torres, 44, is a powerlifting champion himself. At the Asian Championships in Udaipur, India, last May, he earned three gold medals. Torres holds the Philippine record for a total lift of 1,859 pounds. Pecante’s recent lift of 1,196 is the all-time record in the female division. No male or female in the country has come close to matching their totals.

Aside from Pecante, the Philippines was represented by Richie Rosales and Paul Tan in Haryana. Rosales topped the bench press but wound up 10th in squat and ninth in deadlift to place eighth overall in the total category of the 82.5-kilogram class. Tan finished fourth in bench press but had no significant lifts in squat and deadlift in his World Open debut.

Pecante is the only Philippine athlete ever to qualify for the World Games, featuring non-Olympic sports held every four years. She set her eighth world age-group record by lifting 485 pounds in squat at the World Games in Kaoshiung, Taiwan, last July. Pecante ended up eighth overall in the total category.

The World Games is where powerlifting has gained global attention. Lifters qualify for the Games on the basis of “total,” not individual lifts. The International Powerlifting Federation considers only the overall totals in selecting qualifiers for the Games. Similarly, the PAP puts a premium on the totals in choosing lifters for the Philippine team in international competitions.

Pecante, whose career was twice interrupted – first due to the birth of her son Andre and second because of an ACL injury, is one of only six powerlifters from the Philippines to win an Asian Open championship. The others are Torres, Tan, Yolly Mendigoria, Tony Taguibao and Rose Vasquez.

This year, Pecante has collected 10 gold and two bronze medals in six international powerlifting competitions aside from setting one world record. She started off by clinching the gold medal at the World Masters Bench Press Championships in Taupo, New Zealand, last April. Then, Pecante emerged Asia’s powerlifting queen by pocketing gold medals in squat, bench press and deadlift plus the title in the overall total category at the Asian Championships in Udaipur last May.

Pecante established a new world Masters record in squat at the World Games in Kaoshiung last July, bagged the gold medal at the Asian Bench Press Championships in Chandigarh, India, last August, swept four gold medals at the World Masters Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, last October and brought home a bronze in squat and another bronze in the total category at the World Open in Haryana last month.

Pecante’s next outing will be the Asian Championships in Olan Bator, Mongolia, in May. The Masters and Open teams will accommodate 10 men and nine women each with Pecante the only shoo-in as a seeded entry. Lifters in the Masters level are 40 years old and above.

Torres said age isn’t a factor in powerlifting and mentioned that at the last Asian Championships, six of the country’s nine athletes were over 40 and brought back a rich harvest of gold medals.

Pecante’s participation in international competitions was made possible by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, SNI, Dewfoam and the Philippine Postal Corp.