By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Ten medalists, including Olympic weightlifting champion Hidilyn Diaz, are returning to the Asian Games when its 19th edition starts on Sept. 23 in Hangzhou, China.
The 32-year-old Diaz, however, will be gunning for a second straight gold medal in a heavier weight division – the women’s 59kg.
She won her first Asiad gold in the 2018 edition in Indonesia in the 55kg – the same weight that she also dominated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Unfortunately, that category was already scrapped, forcing Diaz to go up in a heavier weight as she intends to go for another Olympic glory.
Also out to defend her title is skateboarding champion Margielyn Didal, who will compete in the women’s street event as she spearheads the five-player skateboarding team in the quadrennial meet.
Golfer Lois Kaye Go also aims for another gold medal when she competes in the women’s team event, but with new teammates in Princess Superal and Rianne Malixi after her fellow gold medalists Yuka Saso changed citizenship to Japanese and Bianca Pagdanganan turned pro.
Showing she was ripe for the big league, Saso rallied furiously to win the individual gold apart from the leading the team to victory — a first in PH sporting history.
Judoka Kiyome Watanabe seeks to eclipse her silver medal in the women’s 63kg, even as Olympic boxers Carlo Paalam and Eumir Marcial, BMX rider Daniel Caluag, jiu jitsu fighter Meggie Ochoa, karateka Junna Tsukii and wushu artist Agatha Wong aim to improve their respective bronze medal finishes.
But the country is also leaning on other notable athletes despite not winning a medal in the previous edition.
World No. 3 pole vaulter EJ Obiena is expected to deliver the gold following his numerous accomplishments so far including winning the Asian Championships and resetting his own Asian record of 6.00m this year.
Boxer Nesthy Petecio is also out to make an impact in the women’s 57kg following her silver-medal finish in the Tokyo Olympics, even as female hurdler Robyn Brown after ruling in the Asian Championships.
Hopes are also high on the women’s football team following its historic appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup this year, as well as tennis sensation Alex Eala, weightlifters Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno, three-time Southeast Asian Games champion Annie Ramirez in jiu jitsu and Jamie Lim in karate.
As usual, the basketball-crazed nation is also pinning its hopes on Gilas Pilipinas to reclaim the men’s basketball crown it last won in 1962.
The closest the men’s basketball team came to winning the gold medal was in 1990, where it settled for the silver medal after losing to host China.
The country hopes to improve its previous Asiad finish of four gold, two silver and 15 bronze medals.
