A NEW twist in the simmering rivalry between Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Hidylin Diaz-Naranjo and 32nd Cambodia Southeast Asian Games champion Elreen Ann Ando will be in full display as the Smart Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas Championships opens today at the SM Bacolod Mall in Bacolod.
With Diaz-Naranjo and Ando vying for the lone women’s 59k slot in next year’s Paris Olympics, SWP president Monico Puentevella bared yesterday that Diaz has decided to challenge Ando in the women’s 64kg division of the meet Friday.
“This is new to me, but I have been hearing reports that Hidy (Diaz’s nickname) will face off with Ando in the 64kg class. Let’s wait and see what will happen on Friday,” Puentevella said on the eve of the event serving as the national tryouts for the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games in September.
He said only the winners in each weight class will qualify for the Asian Games set Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.
This would be a surprising development since Diaz, the Zamboanga City pride, will compete in a heavier weight division for the first time in her career while Ando is comfortable at the 64kg division since this was where she started until going down to 59 kilos in pursuit of a spot in the Paris Olympics.
The heaviest weight that Diaz-Naranjo had tried was when she saw action in the 58kg category, winning a silver and a bronze, respectively, in the 2011 Indonesia and 2007 Thailand SEA Games.
