By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Weightlifting champion Hidilyn Diaz announced she will be moving up to a heavier weight division when she guns for another Olympic glory in the 2024 Paris Games.
“Mahirap, pero kaya. Basta naka-mindset na ako for that,” said Diaz, who arrived in the country Tuesday, Dec. 20, following her successful three-gold-medal haul at the IWF World Championships in Bogota, Colombia.
Diaz’s decision to climb to the 59kg division stemmed from the decision of the Tokyo Games organizer to scrap her weight class – the 55kg where she won the country’s first gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games,
The two-time Olympic medalist said the development is not easy, but she is confident that she could pull it through.
“Pinanuod ko yung 59kg na labanan sa Colombia and nakita namin na kakayanin naman,” said Diaz.
Interestingly, Elreen Ando competed in the 59kg class at the world championship but did not finish. Colombian Yenny Fernandez bagged the gold in that division.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chinese Taipei’s Kuo Hsing-chun claimed the gold in record-breaking fashion.
