MANILA — Three months since lifting his way to gold, Filipino weightlifter Albert Ian Delos Santos is returning to the platform to chase an elusive goal.
Last May, Delos Santos won gold in the men's 71kg division and set a new world record in clean and jerk at the IWF Junior World Championships in Egypt.
The 19-year-old did all of that two weeks out from recovering from a back injury, and while coping with the passing of his father.
Delos Santos will lead the Philippine team in the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan this week.
The Zamboanga City native is entering the competition with a positive mindset and more disciplined approach.
"I'm recovered, but ironically, the same injury happened to me two weeks ago. But [it was] minor, I was able to recover. I stopped myself from getting hurt more, and then I'm okay, trying to deal with my weight and my numbers too," Delos Santos told ABS-CBN News in an exclusive interview last week.
"For me, just to, again have fun and just to see the numbers po for the new weight categories. So, of course, I need to know what's the record again, 'di ba? Whether it went up or down. So 'yun I have that itch, I wanna do it again at least for 70 [kg] before I go up to 75 [kg]," he added.
Delos Santos is determined to finally conquer the snatch event, after slipping away in previous competitions.
READ: How weightlifter Albert Ian Delos Santos turned grief into gold
"Never pa ako naka-medal sa snatch. It's either I take it all as a clean and jerk and total. So, hopefully, I do a number in the snatch that makes me have a medal in the snatch. So, at least kumpleto na. It's always been two, not three," he shared.
"So, that's one of my goals. And especially with Tashkent now, I want a medal in snatch. It's been like an inside joke for us na hindi pa ako nag-memedal sa snatch," Delos Santos said.
One of the takeaways of Delos Santos from Egypt was to be more locked in and focused, while learning to trust the process.
"Yung discipline side talaga I really need to get grasped kasi happy-go-lucky man talaga ako masyado," he said.
"Trust the process. Because that time heavy talaga 'yung mental ko, heavy talaga. Even my mom, considering me not to compete, but I just said to her, wait lang. Let me wait this out because, of course, I'm not at the best state yet," Delos Santos shared.
Coach Julius Naranjo is glad to see the young weightlifter recovering well and showing progress in training.
"At his level, it's normal to have little tweaks here and there, so, I can't force him to keep pushing himself knowing that this already happened again. So, I think he's moving along quite well," Naranjo said.
"I think he's recovered, but now it's, again, back to the mental side and making sure that we can overcome any fears of lifting. But other than that, he's been showing a lot of progress in training, which is very good for him," he added.
While Delos Santos aims a breakthrough in the snatch, Naranjo said the work they are doing on the mental side will go hand in hand with the fine-tuning of his technique.
READ: Albert delos Santos sets new junior world record, strikes golds at IWF Worlds
"A lot of it is technique work. Well, the way I program actually targets a lot of technical work anyways. So it's a matter of just the patience and also doing his rehab, preventing the injury. Because every time he has a small tweak or he has an injury, it's a setback. So we have to make adjustments always," he said.
"As long as we stay out of any injuries or any tweaks, I think we can continue to work on the technique part, to stay ahead in terms of the progress... It was nice to see him more confident in the snatch. And I think that's something I'm hoping can carry on to the Asian Youth and Juniors," Naranjo added.
Naranjo sees the upcoming tournament as a good way for Delos Santos to prepare for the 20th Asian Games happening next month in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
"I think [the] Asian Youth and Junior Champs would be a good tune up for the Asian Games. So I'm thinking that he will have fun. And that's the most important,' he shared.
"I always tell my athletes, we always train this hard to be able to enjoy and have fun when the games come around or when the competition comes around. So, I think all of the preparation, all of the focus on improving mindset, all of that will come to fruition on the platform," Naranjo added.
As he braces to enter the senior ranks, Delos Santos said his stint at the 2025 IWF World Championships in Norway serves as a reminder that there's still plenty of room to grow and a lot of work to be done to reach the top.
"I had a taste back in Norway, my first ever World debut. I came out eighth. It's a good result naman, but it's like, okay, possible. Possible kahit top 10. It's scary at the same time. But dream ko ito," he said.
"To be competing with my idols, to be lifting with them, the warm-up area, seeing them. And I just want to have fun. That's all. It's scary, but that's how it is. That's what I came, that's what I signed up for back when I was a kid. I accepted all of those now," Delos Santos added.
The Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships will run from August 7 to 14 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.