Timor-Leste lifter faces weight for Paris dream

After having to leave his home country to lift weights, Jose Fernan's Paris dream does not seem easy to achieve, but it does not stop him from trying his very best.

Martins Garcia Valente Jose Fernan from the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, as the only weightlifter among the 28 athletes from the tiny Southeast Asian nation, left his home country for Thailand in search of a coach last December.

The 24-year-old, who has to use translation software to take instructions from his coach, unfortunately failed to complete a lift in the men's 81kg weightlifting competition at the Hangzhou Asiad.

But none of that will deter Jose Fernan in his quest to lift at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

If he does it, by invitation from the International Olympic Committee, he will be the first weightlifter from Timor-Leste to compete at the Olympics.

Fortunately, he has 39-year-old Pensiri Laosirikul, who was a Beijing 2008 bronze medalist in the women's 48kg weightlifting category, to guide him. However, even that has its challenges.

He speaks Tetum and Indonesian, and Laosirikul speaks Thai. The only way they can communicate is via their phones.

"We both have a few words of English, 'hello, yes, no', but weightlifting is a very technical sport and for communication in training we have to use Google Translate," said the coach, via a translator, at Xiaoshan Sports Centre Gymnasium.

It was a communication breakdown of another sort that ruined Jose Fernan's big day in the 81kg B Group competition on Tuesday, when he failed with all three snatch attempts and was ruled out of the contest after an administrative error by his NOC classed him way above his level.

"There was a mix-up with the Timor-Leste team and they entered his total at 260kg when it should have been 220kg."

That meant he needed to lift within 20kg of the stated total across the snatch and clean & jerk to register a score.

"It made him worried and it went badly," Laosirikul said.

Jose Fernan also knew he could never match the entry numbers.

"I felt I was getting into something new here, a completely new level for me," he said.

"At least I got out there on the platform at my biggest ever competition. That's what it's all about as an athlete.

"Now I'm more determined than ever to make it to Paris. I'm going back to Thailand to work harder and I'll try again at the Olympic qualifier in Qatar in December," Jose Fernan said.

Timor-Leste will apply for five tripartite places in Paris, its National Olympic Committee secretary Laurentino Guterres said, and is hoping Jose Fernan will be invited. The places are awarded by the IOC to developing nations who fail to qualify athletes in any sport.