By REY C. LACHICA
Superwoman Hidilyn Diaz’s winning effort 206 kg in the SEA Games Friday in Hanoi, Vietnam was way off her Tokyo Games feat, a lift that made her life into one fairytale-like story.
But she’s not complaining.
For one, she easily outclassed her five rivals on the way to retaining her women’s 55 kg category title.
But more than keeping her title, her lift was enough to convince her that she’s still good enough till the 2024 Paris Games.
“Even though I thought I was not that good, my performance not good, I’m happy,” said the 31-year-old Diaz, who has attracts large crowds since her glorious feat in Tokyo.
“I’m happy to be back again and getting ready for Paris 2024.”
In Tokyo last year, she tallied 224 kg to become the country’s first Olympic gold medalist, a feat that earned her millions of cash rewards – not to mention prime residential properties.
Having whetted her winning appetite, Diaz is once again expected to undergo another Spartan-like training and mold herself into one ultimate warrior that everybody saw in her during the Tokyo Olympics.
And the Hanoi SEA Games was the start of another long and punishing journey.
“This is the beginning of my journey towards Paris,” said Diaz.
If the ‘god of power’ gives her the much-needed strength to go up against younger rivals when the time comes, then Diaz will be in for another tough grind.
But before thinking of Paris, Diaz and her team are setting their sights on the Asian Games, which was recently postponed, and most likely, be held early next year in China.
That means Diaz will have to go through more “pains” with six to nine times a week of training.
While she believes that life is not a competition, Diaz is just happy to inspire and help others each time she wins. (With a report from AFP)
