Albert Ian delos Santos
In a world where iron tests both body and will, 19-year-old Albert Ian Delos Santos just proved that legacy and discipline can move mountains—or in his case, 185 kilograms of them.
The Zamboanga-born prodigy shattered the junior world record at the 2025 IWF World Championships in Forde, Norway, with a stunning clean and jerk of 185 kg in the 71 kg division. It was his first senior-level competition, but Delos Santos didn’t just show up—he announced himself to the world stage.
He finished eighth overall with a total of 322 kg, lifting 136 kg in the snatch and 185 kg in the clean and jerk. While his total fell slightly below the junior world standard, his record-breaking lift spoke volumes about what’s coming: a new Filipino powerhouse rising through the ranks of world weightlifting.
“I knew I could make 185,” Delos Santos said in an interview posted by the International Weightlifting Federation. “It’s not about sounding confident—it’s about knowing what you’ve built yourself up for. My goal was top ten and a world record. Now, the journey continues.”
Thailand’s Weeraphon Wichuma, Japan’s Masanori Miyamoto, and China’s He Yueji filled the podium. But it was Delos Santos—calm, composed, and fearless—who walked away with a new world record and the attention of the global weightlifting community. IWF President Mohammed Jalood himself commended the Filipino’s breakthrough performance.
Behind every barbell Delos Santos lifts stands a lineage of champions. His parents, Alvin and Diwa Delos Santos, were both members of the national team, and his sister Dessa also competed for the country. “It’s a family thing,” Albert laughed. “My childhood smelled like metal and rust.”
Now training under coach Julius Naranjo at the HD Weightlifting Academy—alongside Olympic legend Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo—Delos Santos has honed his strength into something greater than muscle: precision, patience, and purpose.
“This wasn’t luck,” Naranjo wrote in a post congratulating his protégé. “It’s the product of years of trust, teamwork, and sacrifice. At 19, he’s already one of the best juniors in the world.”
Next on Delos Santos’ horizon: the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December, where he’ll make his debut as a senior national athlete. But even that is just another stepping stone. His ultimate dream? Olympic gold.
“It’s about carrying the legacy forward,” he said. “My parents started it. Ate Haidie inspired it. I want to finish it—with gold for the Philippines.”
Between rust and resolve, Albert Ian Delos Santos isn’t just lifting weights. He’s lifting a nation’s pride, one bar at a time.