28 Sep Heavy is the Crown: Albert Ian Delos Santos lifts through grief to Bronze and History
Albert Ian Delos Santos proved that no barbell is heavier than the weight of a quiet vow, delivering a defining performance to claim bronze in the men’s 70kg weightlifting event at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Born into a Zamboanga family where weightlifting is a shared language, Delos Santos was raised around the sport. His mother was a national lifter, his sister represented the Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games, and his father, Alvin, was a SEA Games medalist in the 1990s who became his coach, mentor, and constant guide. Making his Asian Games debut in Nagoya, Delos Santos stepped onto the platform carrying years of preparation—and the memory of the man who helped prepare him for that moment.
On his final clean and jerk attempt, he successfully lifted 183 kilograms to finish with a 324kg total, setting new junior world and Asian records along the way. More importantly, the performance ended a 56-year medal drought for Philippine male weightlifting at the Asian Games.
But the road to that platform carried a weight no barbell could measure. In March, Delos Santos lost his father after a battle with liver cancer. By the following morning, he was back in the gym, not because the grief had passed, but because his coach had left him with one final command: “Go to the gym and train, because I’m not letting this stop you.” He listened.
Through months of preparation and heavy attempts, training became where Delos Santos could carry the loss and keep moving toward Nagoya. The work continued, day after day, until the moment he finally stepped onto the platform and delivered when it mattered most.
Afterward, Delos Santos reached beneath his jacket and pulled out a small photograph of his father. He held it up to the cameras. “Every lift, dini-dedicate ko po sa kanya,” Delos Santos said. “Sa kanya lang talaga.”
For the Philippines, it was the end of a 56-year wait. For Delos Santos, it was a tribute to the man who had taught him how to lift—and how to keep going.
From grief came a record-breaking performance and a historic Asian Games bronze. But when Delos Santos held up his father’s photograph, the medal became more than a result. It became a tribute.
For Papa, Ian lifted. And this time, he brought him to the podium.