AND then there were seven.
Rio Olympiad silver medalist Hidylin Diaz emerged finally emerged as the country’s seventh official qualifier for the Tokyo Olympic Games in July after placing fourth in the women’s 55kg division of the Asian weightlifting championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last Sunday night.
While she failed to make it to the podium, Diaz fulfilled the requirement of competing in six International Weightlifting Federation-sanctioned tournaments, this making the grade and returning to the quadrennial global sports spectacle for a fourth straight time.
The Zamboanga City pride and 30th Southeast Asian Games gold medalist joined an elite list of the country’s standard-bearers to Tokyo — pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo and boxers Felix Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, Irish Magno, and Nesthy Petecio.
“Masayo ako na actually na nakalaro ako dito sa Asian championships at na-formalized ko na ang pag-kaka-qualify sa Olympics. Happy ako for the opportunity to represent the country,” said Diaz, who had to wait for over a year since vying in the Rome World Cup in January 2020 to earn her Tokyo ticket.
“At least nakita ko ‘yong dapat mai-improve,” added the lifter, who wound up fourth overall with a combined lift of 212 kilograms after hoisting 94 kilos in the snatch and 118 kilos in the clean and jerk.
It was four kilograms better than her bronze medal effort of 208 in the same meet held in Ningbo, China two years ago following lifts of 94 kilos in the snatch and 115 kilos in the clean-and-jerk.
Chinese Liao Qiuyun retained her crown with total lift of 222 kilos (98-124), edging compatriot and former world champion Li Yajun, who totaled 221 kilos (101-120), while hometown bet Nabieva Muattar took the bronze with 213 kg (99-114).
“To qualify was Hidy’s main mission tonight (Sunday), winning was secondary. She wanted to win a bronze medal and tried lifting 122 in the clean-and-jerk but made a mistake,” noted weightlifting chief Monico Puentevella, who watched the athlete’s performance via live streaming on the IWF’s FB page.
“I talked to her after her performance and we both agreed that it’s better to make the mistake there now rather than in Tokyo. She’s quite happy with how she fared,” said Puentevella.
“With her sacrifices and experience in the past three Olympics, we believe she has a huge chance of winning an Olympic medal in Tokyo again,” Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez said yesterday.
“This is the reason why the PSC bankrolled her training, her team, basic support,” noted Ramirez, who has dealt with the athlete from the time he was commissioner of the government sports agency under the late PSC chief Butch Tuason nearly two decades ago.
Puentevella said Diaz and the rest of her training team of Chinese coach Gao Kaiwen and fitness and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo will return to their training camp in Malaysia until she competes in the Tokyo Games.
“Hidy and her team don’t want to return to Manila because of the spike in COVID-19 cases in our country,” Puentevella said.
“She also does not want to return to her hometown of Zamboanga City because she might lose her focus so it is really better for her to stay in Malaysia for the time being,” added the former Bacolod City mayor and congressman. “Congrats Hidy for a job well done and win for us that elusive gold in Tokyo.”
