OLYMPIC gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo said she is nearing her target lift heading into the sixth and last Olympic qualifier.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup is set March 31 to April 11 in Phuket, Thailand, and Diaz is determined to make it count.
“I’m already at 90 to 95 percent in my goal so I expect myself to be at 100 percent in the competition and also during the Olympic proper,” the 32-year-old Zamboanga City weightlifter told reporters during the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Women’s Awards last Wednesday.
Diaz was one of the Flame Awardees along with volleyball standout Alyssa Valdez, Olympian skateboarder Margielyn Didal, billiards icon Rubilen Amit and mountain climber Carina Dayondon in the event held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
“Not just 100 percent, maybe 110 percent or more.”
Diaz-Naranjo, who has struggled since moving from -55 kgs to -59 kgs women’s division, didn’t reveal her target lift, but admitted the hardship she encountered in trying to achieve her goal during training in Jala-Jala, Rizal.
“The progress is very tough, very hard and there are frustrating moments. But this is what I love. Weightlifting is what I love and my passion. I want to win the gold medal in the Olympics for Philippines and for the people,” Diaz-Naranjo added.
Five Olympic qualifiers have been held and Diaz-Naranjo has slid from seventh to eighth place in the Olympic ranking of women’s -59 kgs after her non-participation in the Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in February.
Diaz-Naranjo’s Filipino counterpart Tokyo Olympian Erleen Ann Ando remains out of the 59 kgs Olympic ranking. Only 10 weightlifters per weight class per country will make it to the Paris Olympics, the list to be released in May by the IWF after the final qualifier in Thailand.
Diaz’s best lift so far is 224 kgs and Ando is at 222 kgs, which they posted in the 2023 World Championships in Saudi Arabia last September. Ando needs to surpass Diaz-Naranjo’s best lift in Thailand to unseat her as the country’s possible representative in Paris.
Diaz-Naranjo’s husband strength and conditioning and head coach Julius Naranjo is facilitating the daily trainings in Jala-jala and they did not set camp overseas since the competition is only in the Southeast Asian region.
Other Filipino weightlifters seeking spots in the Paris Olympics are Vanessa Sarno, Rosegie Ramos and John Febuar Ceniza, who are also in the top 10 of their Olympic rankings at their respective weight classes.
Sarno is No. 5 in the women’s +71 kgs, Ramos is No. 9 in women’s 49 kgs and Ceniza is No. 6 in men’s 61 kgs.