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Tudela, Ada bask in glory of Micro Games success
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- Rodrigo Ada proudly shows the three medals he won in the weightlifting event in last month’s 9th Micronesian Games in Yap. (Contributed Photo)
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- Joey Tudela competes in men’s 85-kg division of the weightlifting event in last month’s 9th Micronesian Games in Yap. (Contributed Photo)
Weightlifters Joey Tudela and Rodrigo Ada relived their medal-winning performances in last month’s 9th Micronesian Games in Yap.
Tudela gained a pair of silver medals and one bronze in the men’s 85-kg division, while Ada had the same results in the men’s 94-kg weight class. Both were proud with their output and experience in the quadrennial competition.
“I was happy and proud that I was able to earn medals for the CNMI at the Micro Games. I was very happy that I successfully lifted the weights and recorded personal bests. These accomplishments made all my hard work and training the past couple months worth it. Micro Games was a fun experience,” Tudela said.
Tudela also acknowledged the organizers of the weightlifting competition despite their limited resources.
“Though training facility and competition was not that organized for weightlifting, we were able to make things work and ran the competition as smooth as possible,” he said.
As for Ada, he was relieved to deliver in his weightlifting event debut.
“It was my first time joining the Micro Games and I didn’t know what to expect. The competition was good. I had an on and off training before because I was busy with work and school, but after I graduated that’s when I had more time for training,” Ada said.
“After we had the weightlifting qualifier at the Latte Built Gym, I had to train with the team five days a week. My experience at the Micro Games was good. I was able to make new friends and watch most of the other sports,” the first-timer added.
With Tudela and Ada combining for six medals, Team Marianas managed to get 15 from the weightlifting squad, which also had Angel San Nicolas, Bonny Cruz, and Antonette Labausa as members. CNMI Weightlifting Federation president John Davis accompanied the group in Yap.
“I’m very proud of my team for coming away with 15 medals and helping CNMI climb the medal tally,” Tudela said. “We really did out best and complete our lifts.”
He also hopes that their notable performance in the Micro Games will help promote the sport more in the CNMI.
“It shines a lot of light on the sport and hopefully brings more interest,” Tudela said.
