TOKYO Olympic gold medalist Hidylin Diaz-Naranjo and her team are set to leave today to prepare for her highly-anticipated showdown with national teammate Elreen Ann Ando for the country’s lone Olympic slot in the IWF World Cup opening this Sunday in Phuket, Thailand.
Diaz-Naranjo will be accompanied by husband-coach Julius and sports psychologist Karen Trinidad, giving her at least a week before her showdown with Ando in the women’s 59kg division on April 3 in the last qualifying meet for the Paris Olympic Games.
“We want to settle down before we compete in the IWF World Cup so we can adjust to the conditions there,” said Diaz-Naranjo, who is bidding for a record fifth straight Olympic appearance, last week during the 1st Women in Sports Awards at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Standing in her way is Ando, also a Tokyo Olympic veteran who is just as keen on making it to her second straight Summer Games outing.
In their last clash at the World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last September, Diaz-Naranjo and Ando finished seventh and eighth, respectively, with total lifts of 224 and 222 pounds, respectively.
Should Ando surpass Diaz-Naranjo in Phuket by hoisting 224 kilos or better, she will be the Philippine representative in the weight class since the 10 slots up for grabs are limited to one entry per country.
“Whatever God’s will is, we will be content, although aspire din naman akong bumalik sa Olympics,” said the Zamboanga City-born Diaz-Naranjo, who has been working out at the training site she and her husband set up in Jala-Jala, Rizal.
Even if she qualifies for Paris, she acknowledged that she would be in for a tough fight considering the opposition she would be up against.
