By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz hopes to test the waters when she and other rising stars see action in the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships set Dec. 5 to 16 in Bogota, Colombia.
Diaz, married to her conditioning coach Julius Naranjo last April, will try to use the 11-day Bogota event as one of her barometers whether she can still make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics or not.
Like the rest of the team, Diaz hopes to qualify for the said event as she intends to retain the crown she won during the Tokyo Games last year.
“The ultimate goal is the Olympics,” said Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella.
Apart from Diaz, also in the team is Vanessa Sarno who reigned supreme in the 2020 Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games last May.
Also joining Diaz to Bogota are Tokyo Olympian Elreen Ando and Southeast Asian Games gold winner Kristel Macrohon and Rosegie Ramos, winner of six mints in the Asian Juniors in Tashkent last July.
Also in the roster were Nestor Colonia, John Ceniza, John Pacaldo and Lovely Inan.
Puentevella said Diaz and this group of lifters skipped the ongoing Asian Seniors Championships in Manama, Bahrain to pour all their team’s energy in the Bogota competition.
“We’re focusing on the Worlds in December that’s why we skipped the Asian,” said Puentevella.
The SWP had actually fielded in youthful standouts Rose Jean Ramos and Fernando Agad.
Ramos, considered a potential 2028 Los Angeles Olympics prospect, managed to snatch a bronze against older, more experiences foes.
