Superheavy Jimmy gives Phl big lift

MANILA, Philippines - The late strongman Jaime Sebastian, a man whose huge appetite was matched by his big craving for gold medals, chalked up one of the most bountiful stints in the Southeast Asian Games.

After starting his reign in 1977, super superheavyweight Sebastian extended his dominance well into 1989, adorning his massive, powerful body with a total 21 mints. During that time, separate medals were awarded in snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift and he swept the plums in each of his seven SEAG forays.

“Jimmy was a fighter, he was always prepared and in top condition, he didn’t get nervous, and he was good at tactics,” coach Greg Colonia, Sebastian’s kababayan from Zamboanga and long-time teammate and kumpare, said in Filipino.

Ten years since crowning himself Southeast Asia’s strongest man, he made record lifts of 145 kgs (snatch), 187.5 kgs (jerk) and 332.5 ks (total) in the ‘87 Indonesia SEAG.