(UPDATE) VANESSA Sarno, by no means, had an easy road to the Paris Olympics.
Like any other athlete, the 20-year-old from Bohol faced difficulties as she reached for her goal of making the Olympiad for the first time.
"Life and experience of being an athlete has always been hard," wrote Sarno in a lengthy Facebook post written in mix of Filipino, English, and Bisaya on Monday, April 8, a day after she formalized her Olympic entry by competing in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
Sarno, who qualified to the Paris Games by finishing fifth in the women's 71kg Olympic Qualification Rankings (OQR), added:
"I have tried various things to make myself motivated no matter how big the waves of challenges and problems are crashing upon me. I have been through the worst, I have struggled, I have stressed, I have worried, I have stayed up late at night, worrying about a future that seems unclear, and it always gets better.
"There are days when all I just want was to give up but I always tell myself that hey don't sweat it, you're not the first person to feel that way, and you most certainly won't be the last."
Fortunately, Sarno wasn't alone in her journey.
She made sure to give credits to those who helped her and kept her from totally breaking down.
Sarno's sports psychologist Dr. Karen Trinidad, coach Drachir Ostoga, Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) president Monico Puentevella, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Philippine Sports Commission (POC), her friends and family, and the Lord were in the long list.
"I fell so many times and times have tested me on many occasions. There are a lot of people who doubted me, who tried to destroy me, and I heard a lot of hurtful things against me. There are a lot of people who judged me, criticized me, and there was a lot of gossip about me that scattered around," shared Sarno.
Making it to the Olympics is not the essence of perfection, according to Sarno whose best lift in the qualifiers of 249kg stood strong for her to make the top 10 of the OQR. She lifted four kilos less in the World Cup, the last qualifying event for the Olympics.
For her, perfection is being able to look those who helped her straight in the eye knowing that she did all she could to not let them down, to let them know that their efforts in helping her were not for nothing, that she left no stones unturned in the competition.
"It's a very difficult road to get here. It's just hard. Day in and day out sacrifice and dying. The competition was the easy part. The real work happened behind the scenes. For me being perfect is not about your scores in the competition and winning there," said Sarno.
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