TOKYO Olympic Games gold medalist Hidylin Diaz is keen on defending her weightlifting title in the Vietnam Southeast Games in May and will see action in the national team tryouts in Bacolod early next month.
“Right now, we are preparing for the SEA Games qualifying in early March. After that we hope to compete in the Vietnam SEA Games,” Diaz said yesterday in a press conference shortly after receiving the College of St. Benilde golden medallion at the CSB Sports Complex in Pasay City.
National coach Julius Naranjo, Diaz’s fiancée who witnessed the occasion, bared the plans for the athlete for the SEA Games in May and Hangzhou Asian Games in China in September.
Given the fact they both tested positive for COVID-19 last January and Diaz’s athlete’s intermittent training, Naranjo said they intend to qualify for the SEA Games by meeting the bronze medal standard of 175 kilograms in the last 2019 SEA Games held in the Philippines.
“Once I meet the bronze-medal qualifying standard then we will begin to train hard for the SEA Games,” said the Zamboanga City pride, who hoisted 211 kilos in winning her first SEA Games mint at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium three years ago and won the Olympic gold with a record-breaking lift of 227 kilos.
Depending on the outcome of the tryouts and the pandemic conditions in the country, Naranjo said they would decide whether they would move back to Malaysia to do their intensive training there or remain in country.
“At this moment we still haven’t made a clear decision. We will see how the next few weeks will go and decide after the SEA Games qualifiers if we decide to return to Malaysia,” he said.
After recovering from the virus, Diaz said she is slowly regaining her strength and is near optimum condition after two weeks of intensive training under the supervision of Naranjo.
“Nag-intensive training kami the last two week and sabi ni coach Julius bumalik na ang lakas ko,” said Diaz, adding she has not lost her zest for the sport that has given her and the country so much honor, including the Olympic gold.
“Ginagawa ko ito kasi mahal ko ang sports, at hindi ibig sabihin na nanalo na ako ng gold sa Olympics, mag-stop na ako. Tuloy-tuloy pa rin kasi gusto ko pa pong gawin,” Diaz said.