PARIS — Vanessa Sarno’s much-anticipated Olympic debut ended unexpectedly early, marking a disappointing turn in her promising weightlifting career.

The 20-year-old rising star faced a sudden exit in the women’s 71kg division at the South Paris Arena on Friday (Saturday morning Philippine time) after failing to complete a single lift in the snatch portion.

The Philippines ended up without a medal in weightlifting for the first time since 2016.

Hidilyn Diaz delivered the country’s two medals in the sport after a silver medal finish in Rio and her historic gold in Tokyo three years ago.

As the Paris Games comes to a close Sunday, golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina will wrap up the Philippines’ campaign highlighted by gymnast Caloy Yulo’s two golds.

The country also bagged two bronze medals courtesy of Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.

Now sitting in joint 29th as of 6 p.m. Saturday, the Philippines remains as the best Southeast Asian performer in the Olympics, as the country is still ahead by a bronze medal over Indonesia, which has a 2-0-1 (gold-silver-bronze) haul.

Thailand is currently in 37th spot with one gold, three silvers and two bronzes to show. Malaysia (two bronzes) and Singapore (one bronze) are also in the medal tally.

Sarno attempted to lift 100kg three times but was unsuccessful in all attempts, resulting in a Did Not Finish (DNF) for the event.

Sarno’s early exit was particularly surprising given her strong performance in the lead-up to the Olympics.

She ranked fourth in the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) Olympic Qualification Ranking and had previously demonstrated her ability to lift heavier weights.

In April, she set a national record by lifting 110kg in the snatch at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.

Additionally, she holds the Southeast Asian Games record in the snatch with a lift of 105kg, where she is a two-time gold medalist.

Sarno wasted no time in saying that the Tagbilaran, Bohol native wants to make it up in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Gusto kong sabihin sa lahat ng sumusuporta sa akin na sana ituloy ninyo pa rin akong suportahan at abangan ninyo po ako sa susunod na Olympics po,” Sarno told reporters.

This result mirrored the fate of her teammate John Ceniza, who also recorded a DNF in the men’s 61kg category after failing to complete a successful lift in the snatch.

Elreen Ando was the only Filipino weightlifter among the three who qualified for the Olympics to finish her event, placing sixth in the women’s 59kg class.

Olivia Reeves of the United States lived up to expectations as the favorite, securing the country’s first Olympic weightlifting gold since the 2000 Sydney Games with a total lift of 262kg.

Colombia’s Mari Sanchez took the silver with a total of 257kg, while Ecuador’s Angie Palacios earned the bronze with a 256kg total.