By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.

Horizon news staff

Younger twin sister Alexandrina Patris has just set a national record in the 63kg. weight class at the recently concluded 2007 annual Royal World Weightlifting Championships in Changmai, Thailand.

Alexandrina lifted 98kg. in the clean and jerk to surpass her previous personal best and national record of 94kg. She managed to just level her record of 73kg in the snatch but in the process she booked a new total lift record of 167kg. But more importantly, she gained points for a crack of a spot in next year’s Beijing Olympics, which is every athlete’s ultimate dream.

Alexandrina settled for 33rd place among 38 contestants. Liu Haixia of China won the gold as she topped the category with her 115kg in the clean and jerk, 42kg in the snatch and for a 257kg total. Tsarukaeva Svetlana of Russia took the silver with her 115kg, 135kg and 250kg while Pak Hyon Suk of the People’s Republic of Korea settled for the bronze with her 105kg, 135kg and 240kg.

"I’m working hard for that dream. I’m still young and I’m feeling strong," the 18-year old triple-gold medallist in the XIII Pacific Games, which just recently folded in Samoa. Alexandrina’s next stop is the World Cup to be held at the same venue where she won her three gold medals."I’m willing to go again and win," said Alexandrina, who started with the sport seven years ago at the age of 11. She said that if she could not make it to Beijing then she will continue to train hard and aim for the next Olympics, which will be in London in 2012.

Yesterday, Alexandrina and her older twin sister Alexandra and father coach Steve Patris received a donation of $3,000 from Mobil to the national weightlifting team.
The donation was separate from the $3,000 total incentives that she is entitled for winning three gold medals in Apia.

Meanwhile, the wrestling team also received $3,000 from Mobil. The wrestlers just came from the world wrestling championships in Azerbaijan. Coach John Tarkong Jr. said Elgin Elwais did not win a bronze as earlier reported. Tarkong sent an E-mail on Sept. 19 to inform that "Elgin wrestled and lost to Belarus and he went on to defeat Iran and Kazakhstan and eventually won the bronze medal in the 55kg freestyle weight class…" Tarkong corrected that it was the wrestler from Kazakhstan that eventually won the bronze medal. The team which is composed of Tarkong, Elgin, Franson Gibbons and Florian Skilang Temengil arrived on Wednesday night along with the wrestlers from FSM, who trained with them in Palau even before their successful campaign in the SPG.

The Palauan wrestlers came home from Apia with eight medals – two gold from Elgin, one gold and a bronze for Tarkong, one gold for Gibbons and a bronze for Jojo Roberts, who also played with the national team in basketball.

President Remengesau raised a total of $16,600 for the incentives of athletes who won medals. The money came from the private sector and sponsors with the baseball team pocketing $5,000 for winning the gold medal and softball $1,000 for winning the bronze.

Alexandra got $1,000 for winning one gold and $500 each for winning two silver medals. Their younger brother Stevick Patris received $1,000 for winning.