By MARK REY MONTEJO
As the saying goes, not all good things last forever, but when one ends, another rises.
That was the case of Tokyo Games hero Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo and Elreen Ando.
On a cold and suspense-filled evening at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand on Wednesday, Diaz practically surrendered her crown as the queen of PH weightlifting after she failed in her bid to book a slot to the Paris Olympics.
That’s was too painful to bear for Diaz’s avid loyalists who were expecting for another miracle lift just like when she won the gold medal in the women’s 55-kg class during the Tokyo Games.
But competing in the heavier category at 59-kg proved to be Diaz’s downfall – not to mention the age factor.
Understandably, there was no “magic” this time as Diaz, already 33, lifted only 99 kilos in snatch and 123kg in clean and jerk for a total of 222 kilos and skidded to 11th place – just outside the lucky top 10.
But as Diaz fell from grace, Ando rose to the occasion, lifting a personal best of 228 kg – 100 kilos in snatch and 128 kilos in clean and jerk – good for seventh place in the 59kg category for her second consecutive Summer Games stint.
The Cebu City native said the trials and tribulations she faced including failing on her previous qualifying attempts and weight decrease, fueled her desire to secure a berth in the fashion capital of the world.
“Andami ko ring pinagdaanan ng nagbaba ng weight, tyaka di madali na mag-qualified kasi dalawang beses ako nag-zero sa qualifying eh kaya ngayon binuhos ko na lahat kasi ito na ‘yong last [opportunity] talaga eh,” Ando said.
“Tiwala lang sa sarili ko tyaka naisip ko na nabuhat ko na ‘to no’ng training kaya kailangan ko syang mabuhat,” she added.
“Masaya kasi di ko in-expect at laking pasasalamat sa lahat,”
The two-time Olympian put an ink in the list anew of Cebuano Olympians which includes lifters Ramon Solis (1988, Seoul) and John Ceniza, who will make his debut in the quadrennial meet.
Ando, as anticipated, will face daunting tasks on her division in the likes of World No. 1 Luo Shifang, who became a record-holder after lifting 248kg in the tourney, North Korea’s Kim Il Gyong and Canada’s Maude Charron.
According to POC president Bambol Tolentino the team will set for a month-long training camp in France in June until July before heading to the Olympics.
Despite the disheartening outcome, the 33-year-old lifter vowed to continue her weightlifting conquest and will take a break for a while to reflect on what to do next in her life.
“I love this sport, I don’t want to stop. But what I have to do now is take a good rest and think about the priorities in my life. Today wasn’t my day, Paris was not to be,” Diaz stressed.
“But overall I’m happy. I’ve given a lot to this sport and it’s given a lot to me,” she added.
Diaz won a silver medal in the 53-kg class during the 2016 Summer Games and also a gold medal in the Asian Games in Jakarta also at the 53-kg class.