Diaz must choose: climb to 59 kgs or go down to 49 for Paris Olympics

The country’s lone Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz must decide what weight category she will enter as she bids for a slot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Diaz, who recently kept the -55kg weightlifting title in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam, must decide if she will go up in weight or go down, to meet the standards set for the coming Olympic qualifiers.

The 55-kg event is not among the weight classes in the Paris games, and Diaz must choose whether to slide down to the women’s 49 kgs or go up to the 59-kg category.

“She’s undecided. We will find what works best in time for the Paris Olympics,” said coach Julius Naranjo, who was with Diaz to receive their incentives from President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacanang.

During the biennial meet, Diaz totaled 206 kgs in the finals, three ahead of eventual runner-up Sunikun Tanasan, the 2016 Rio Olympics’ gold medalist.

“My journey towards Paris (Olympics) starts here, so this SEA Games gold is very important for me,” said Diaz. “Napaka-meaningful nito (SEAG). After winning the gold medal, bumalik pa din ako, nakapag-deliver ng gold medal for the Philippines. Masaya ako na nandito ako ulet ako sa SEA Games, na i-represent ang Pilipinas.”

Naranjo said Diaz is resting and seeking to regain her strength back after the SEA Games before she starts to prepare for the Cambodia SEA Games next year.

So far, Team HD has included many young and upcoming lifters in their regular workouts in Jala-Jala, Rizal, including 23-year-old Dessa de los Santos, an aspiring female lifter from Zamboanga City and 15-year-old Jose Dayao.