It will be Hidilyn Diaz's fourth straight campaign in the Summer Games when competitions begin at the Tokyo Olympics on July 23.
Many see this as her last Olympic appearance.
Diaz has yet to decide on this matter since her focus is the Tokyo Olympics, although if that time comes, she understands that the national weightlifting team is in good hands for the next editions of the Olympics.
The development of young weightlifters – all of them looking up at the 30-year-old native of Zamboanga City – provides the local weightlifting team with possible ‘heir’ to the crown of Diaz, the ‘queen’ of Philippine weightlifting.
“Para sa akin napakalaking bagay na may susmusunod na bata mga sa Olympics,” said Diaz in Episode 3 of a documentary entitled “Let’s Go HD!” shown Thursday, July 15 on the Facebook page of Kick-Start Coffee Brewed Awakening.
This edition of the Olympics, weightlifting has another bet aside from Diaz as Southeast Asian Games silver medalist Elreen Ando will make her debut after she qualified via continental rankings.
Aside from Ando, others expected to be on the rise among members of the weightlifting national team are Vanessa Sarno, Kristel Macrohon, Margaret Colonia and her cousin Mary Flor Diaz.
“Sila ang mga susunod sa akin,” said Diaz, who hopes to improve her silver medal finish during the 2016 Rio Olympics as she tries to give the Philippines its first ever gold medal in the Games.
Diaz is on her final stage of preparation in Malacca, Malaysia before she leaves for Tokyo next week. She will be competing in the 55-kilogram women’s category and sees weightlifters from China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and host Japan as rivals for the gold medal.
Diaz, gold medalist in the 2019 SEA Games here and in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, is with her ‘HD Team’ of Chinese coach Kaiwen Gao, strength/condition mentor Julius Naranjo, sports nutritionist Jeaneth Aro and sports psychologist Dr. Karen Trinidad in this journey towards Japan.
Diaz said that when she started competing in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in November during the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, she had doubts – the same doubts her critics had in her after her stint in the Rio Olympics.
In that tournament, she failed to make a podium finish as she placed ninth overall among 42 participants.
“Sabi nila laos na ako. Siempre masakit din sa akin. Kahit ako din parang sinasabi ko na ‘oo nga no laos na ako’. Pero sige lang, hindi naman nila alam kung paano manalo, hindi naman nila alam kung paano mag-qualify, hindi naman nila alam kung anong pinagdaanan ko,” said Diaz.
In the past couple of years, Diaz said she has learned to accept and understand.
“I don't have to listen to their opinion, kasi opinion nila yun. Wala ako magawa at hindi ko yun mabago,” she said.
“Ang magawa ko lang is mag-deliver ng results, ang magawa ko lang i-control ko yung mga things na magagawa ko, which as an athlete, I just have to train hard, do my best in training, do my best in competition and represent our country.”