Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz swears her performance in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan will determine whether eyeing a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Games is doable or not.
“This will be my comeback event,” said Diaz yesterday after doing a roundtable discussion staged by the College of St. Benilde alongside fellow Olympian and AIMAG taekwondo bet Kirstie Elaine Alora.
“Maraming mga tanong. Kaya ko pa ba?” said Diaz, who leaves for Ashgabat on Sept. 14.
Diaz will see action on Sept. 19 and hopes to take no less than the gold medal.
“Ayoko ng basta mag-medal. Gusto ko first place,” said Diaz, who brought along her own food – brown rice and grilled chicken – to the luncheon Q&A.
Diaz will compete in the under 53 kg. the same weight class where she wound up with the silver in Rio.
Still, Diaz admits trying to regain her old form had been difficult, adding that the sudden change in her lifestyle took a toll in her ability to get back on track.
“It’s hard to maintain and sustain after all the blessings that you received,” she said.
If Diaz lives up to her expectations, the 26-year-old will proceed to the US for the world championships in November.
