RIO DE JANEIRO Olympics silver medallist Hidilyn Diaz has shifted her focus on two more important international competitions after Malaysia scratched her event in women’s weightlifting at this August’s 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
The women’s -53-kilograms category—where Diaz bagged her silver medal in Rio—was not on the Sea Games program, an obvious intent by the Malaysian organizers to deny the Philippines of a guaranteed gold.
With the August 19 to 31 Sea Games out of her schedule, Diaz, who turns 26 next month, will focus on the Asian Indoor Games in Turkmenistan in September and the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Anaheim, USA, in November.
“Those are my targets for 2017,” Diaz told reporters during a roundtable with reporters at the Vatel Restaurant of Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle in Manila on Wednesday.
Diaz has returned to school after six years and is taking up business management under a scholarship grant at Saint Benilde through its Sports Director Stephen Hernandez.
The Zamboanga City pride said she is looking forward to another showdown with her closet rivals in Rio—gold winner Hsu Shu-Ching of Chinese Taipei and bronze medalist Yoon Jin Hee of South Korea—in the Asian Indoors and world championships.
“I need to step up on my training because Hsu and Yoon will definitely be in Turkmenistan and Anaheim,” said Diaz, who has drawn a program that could win her the gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Image credits: Alysa Salen