MANILA – Hidilyn Diaz ranked 11th in her first qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The Filipina silver medalist in the 2017 Rio Olympics competed in the 2018 International Weightlifting Federation World Championship on Nov. 4.
A native of Zamboanga, Diaz lifted 93kg in the snatch and 110kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 203kg in the women’s 55kg event.
The 27-year-old must compete in at least six events and make it to the top 56 by the end of the qualification period to gain a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Diaz is very much determined to earn the Tokyo Olympics slot and capture a gold medal in what could be her swan song in competitive weightlifting. She wants to focus on her personal life after that.
Srisurat Sukanya of Thailand captured the gold medal with a total of 232kg. Li Yajun and Zhang Wanqiong of China took silver and bronze, respectively, with 225kg.
Nestor Colonia, who was also attempting to return to the Olympics, landed on 13th place in the men’s 61kg division./PN
