How Albert Delos Santos Turned Grief Into Gold Just Two Months After His Dad’s Death
The 19-year-old lifter broke his own junior world record in Egypt.
Published on May 8, 2026
(SPOT.ph) Albert Ian Delos Santos had every reason to be overwhelmed before stepping onto the platform in Egypt. The 19-year-old Filipino weightlifter was competing at the 2026 IWF Junior World Championships just two months after the death of his father. By the end of the men’s 71-kilogram event, he had another world gold—and a new junior world record—to show for it.
Delos Santos lifted 139 kilograms in the snatch and 187 kilograms in the clean and jerk for a total of 326 kilograms, enough to win the division. His 187-kilogram clean and jerk also reset the junior world record he previously set.
After the lift, Delos Santos ran to his mother, Diwa. According to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), she showed him a photo of his late father, which he kissed before saying, “I did it for him! I did it for him!”
His father, Alvin, was a former national lifter who died of liver cancer in March.
Albert Delos Santos is just getting started
Delos Santos said his father’s death affected how he trained for the tournament: “I deviated from my coach’s percentages in training and wanted to do every lift for my dad. It was my way of trying to get over the pain.”
It also took a toll on his body, having injured his back two Saturdays before the competition. But he still made it to the platform in Egypt, with his mother, Diwa, and his coach, Julius Naranjo, in his corner. Naranjo is the husband and coach of Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
“I couldn’t even walk for a couple of days. I felt so bad, I was in a deep void. I had only a week to train for this and I was trembling out there, but my dad was with me all the way. This was for him,” Delos Santos said.
Despite the challenges, Delos Santos finished well ahead of everyone else with a total of 326 kilograms in the clean and jerk division. That is 17 kilograms ahead of silver medalist Yash Vinod Khandagale of India and 25 kilograms ahead of bronze medalist Jimmy Lopez of Ecuador.
This latest win adds to a growing list of achievements for the young lifter. Delos Santos won the youth 61-kilogram world title in 2023 and the junior 67-kilogram world title in 2025 before moving up to 71 kilograms. The IWF described his win in Egypt as his third world title.
He has also started testing himself at the senior level. In October 2025, Delos Santos set a junior world record of 185 kilograms in the clean and jerk at the World Championships in Forde, Norway, where he finished eighth overall in the men’s 71-kilogram category.
Diaz has previously called him "the future of Philippine weightlifting."
Before his death, Alvin had spoken proudly about his son’s progress.
“I am proud because every competition, he’s record is improving,” Alvin told the Philippine News Agency in October 2025. “I always tell him to take it slowly, as long as there is improvement in his performance, that’s okay.”
The goal for Delos Santos: train enough to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“We are always on a low profile but we try to win medals in the international field. We hope to represent the country very well again in the forthcoming Los Angeles Olympics,” Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) President Monico Puentevella told Daily Tribune.
Also read: 10 Filipino Athletes Who Brought Home Olympic Medals
Micah believes that writing is always political. Beyond the byline, you’ll find her bruising herself on a pole or doting on her beagle. Reach her at micah@spot.ph.