Cebu's Althea Bacaro bags silver, bronze in IWF World Youth C'ships

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Rising Cebuana weightlifting star Althea Bacaro continued her impressive climb on the international stage after winning a silver and a bronze medal in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) 2026 World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Cali, Colombia on Monday, July 6.

Competing in the girls’ 44-kilogram division, the 14-year-old Bacaro finished with a total lift of 140 kilograms. She claimed the silver medal in the clean and jerk after successfully lifting 80 kilograms and earned the bronze in the snatch with a 60-kilogram lift.

Bacaro, the daughter of a longtime Cebu Coliseum mop boy and younger sister of fellow weightlifting prospect Albert Bacaro, is among Cebu’s brightest young talents. Both siblings are varsity athletes for the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters. Her latest achievement came just a day after fellow Filipina Alexandra Diaz captured the gold medal in the girls’ 77-kilogram category.

READ: Cebuano weightlifters Borres, Bacaro shine in Asian Championships

In the snatch, Bacaro opened with a successful 60-kilogram lift before missing her 63-kilogram attempt. She bounced back in the clean and jerk by clearing 77, 79, and 80 kilograms to secure the silver medal in the event.

Bacaro has steadily established herself as one of the country’s top youth lifters since joining the Philippine team in 2024.

READ: Cebuano lifters haul 12 golds in Nat’l Open Weightlifting C’ships

During her international debut that year, she won silver in the 40-kilogram division of the Asian Youth and Junior Championships in Doha, Qatar. She followed it up with an outstanding performance in the 2025 IWF World Youth and Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, where she captured gold in the snatch, silver in the overall total, and bronze in the clean and jerk.

Aurora Van Ulft of Aruba dominated the 44-kilogram class, winning the overall title with a combined lift of 162 kilograms after clearing 69 kilograms in the snatch and 93 kilograms in the clean and jerk. Turkey’s Asel Senel settled for silver overall with 143 kilograms, earning silver in the snatch (66 kilograms) and bronze in the clean and jerk (77 kilograms).

Meanwhile, two more Cebuana lifters, Rhianne Cabalida and Jea Mae Palagtiw, are set to compete in the 69-kilogram and 77-kilogram divisions, respectively.

The Cebu contingent is under the guidance of Cebuano Olympian coach Christopher Bureros.

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