MANILA – From being an Olympic gold medal winner in Tokyo to Southeast Asian Games queen in Vietnam, Filipina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo is now a world champion in Bogota.
Diaz-Naranjo nailed the elusive world weightlifting championship after capturing three gold medals in the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Bogota, Colombia on Wednesday (Thursday in the Philippines).
The Zamboanga City native topped the snatch with her 93-kilogram lift and 114-kilogram in the clean and jerk for a total of 207-kilogram lift to rule the women’s 55-kilogram division.
Diaz-Naranjo, a silver medal winner in the 2017 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, bested her close rivals Rosalba Morales of Colombia and Mexican female lifter Ana Gabriela Lopez.
Morales landed third in snatch with 89-kilogram and second in clean and jerk with 110-kilogram for a total lift of 199-kilogram, while Lopez had a total lift of 198-kilogram after clearing 90 for second place in snatch and 108 for third place in clean and jerk.
After assuring her three gold medals midway in the clean and jerk competition, the 31-year-old Diaz-Naranjo tried to lift 117-kilogram and 121-kilogram for record purposes but failed.
The world weightlifting gold had been elusive for Diaz-Naranjo. She finished with a bronze medal in the women’s 53-kilogram in the 2015 worlds and a silver medal in women’s 55-kilogram in 2021.
The Bogota world weightlifting competition is part of Diaz-Naranjo’s bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024, where she seeks her fifth Olympics appearance and a gold medal repeat.
Other Filipinos also competed in the world championship in Nestor Colonia, who finished seventh in the men’s 55-kilogram division, while Lovely Inan and Rosegie Ramos finished 13th and 17th, respectively, in the women’s 49-kilogram class.
The Philippines has four more medal chances as Dave Lloyd Pacaldo (men’s 67kg), Elreen Ando (women’s 59kg), and Vanessa Sarno and Kristel Macrohon (women’s 71kg) have yet to see action./PN
