By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The “Superwoman” from Zamboanga City did it again.
Almost 17 months since her breakthrough Olympic gold medal win in Tokyo, Hidilyn Diaz made another first, clinching a world championship title with another scintillating performance in the 2022 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Bogota, Colombia Wednesday, Dec. 7 (Thursday in Manila).
That completed her illustrious resume that only the gifted ones can ever accomplished.
And what a performance it was for the country’s premier athlete who was hailed as the Athlete of the Year by the Philippines Sportswriters Association (PSA) during its annual Awards Night last March.
She swept all the three gold medals in the women’s 55kg division as she once again underscored her lofty billing.
Proving she was a cut above the rest, Diaz ruled her division with ease by lifting a total of 207 kg.
She displayed superiority in snatch after lifting 93 kg on her second attempt and assured herself of the clean & jerk gold after clearing 114 kg on her first try.
As if unsatisfied with her clean & jerk performance, she attempted 117 kg and 121 kg on her last two tries, but registered a no lift.
Diaz’s feat bolstered her campaign to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, though she may have to jump into a higher weight category as the women’s 55 kg was scrapped in the lineup.
Overall, Diaz has dominated all high-level sporting events including the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games and the Olympics.
Meanwhile, hometown bet Rosalba Morales tried to overcome Diaz in clean & jerk but failed on her two attempts at 115 kg.
Still, the South American Games champion settled for silver with a 199 kg total, while winning bronze in snatch (89 kg) and silver in clean & jerk (110 kg).
Tokyo Olympian Ana Lopez Ferrer of Mexico bagged the bronze in total with a 198 kg lift apart from winning silver in snatch (90 kg).
Peru’s Shoely Mego Contreras, meanwhile, won the bronze in clean & jerk with 109 kg.
