MANILA – Filipina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz captured three silver medals in the women’s event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifier Asian Weightlifting Championships on Monday evening in Ningbo, China.
The Zamboanga City native, a silver medalist during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, bagged her medals in the women’s 55-kilogram (kg) snatch, clear and jerk and total lift event.
Diaz placed second in the snatch with 94 kg behind China’s Liao Qiuyun’s 96 kg. The Filipina also placed second to the Chinese in clear and jerk with 115 kg to the latter’s 128 kg.
Overall, the 28-year-old Diaz is at second place with 209 kilogram lift behind Liao’s 224 kg. Taking the bronze medal was Muattar Nabieva of Uzbekistan with 204 kg.
“Maraming salamat sa lahat ng nagpray sa laro ko. Silver medalist po ako,” Diaz wrote on her Facebook account. “Medyo malayo pa ako sa target ko madami pang kailangan i-improve.”
Diaz must compete in a minimum of six events and must rank in the top 56 in the world at the end of the qualification period to gain a spot in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Diaz has first competed in the 2018 International Weightlifting Federation World Championship in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on November, 2018 where she finished at 11th place.
Diaz’s cousin Mary Flor Diaz also had a decent campaign in the women’s 45 kg category as she bagged two bronze medals in the clear and jerk event and in the overall lift./PN
