Tokyo Olympics heroine Hidilyn Diaz will banner a group of young talented lifters when they see action in the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships set Dec. 5 to 16 in Bogota, Colombia.

Diaz, married to her conditioning coach Julius Naranjo last April, will try to use the 11-day Bogota event as one of her many tournaments leading to the 2024 Paris Olympics where she hopes to qualify and claim her second gold medal there.
“The ultimate goal is the Olympics,” said Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella.
Apart from Diaz, the team will have Vanessa Sarno, considered as a potential heiress to the former after a string of golden performances in the 2020 Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games last May.
Also joining Diaz to Bogota are Tokyo Olympian Elreen Ando and Southeast Asian Games gold winner Kristel Macrohon and Rosegie Ramos, winner of six mints in the Asian Juniors in Tashkent last July.
Also in the roster were Nestor Colonia, John Ceniza, John Pacaldo and Lovely Inan.
Puentevella said Diaz and this group of lifters skipped the ongoing Asian Seniors Championships in Manama, Bahrain to pour all their team’s energy in the Bogota competition.
“We’re focusing on the Worlds in December that’s why we skipped the Asian,” said Puentevella.
The SWP had actually fielded in youthful standouts Rose Jean Ramos and Fernando Agad.
Ramos, considered a potential 2028 Los Angeles Olympics prospect, managed to snatch a bronze against older, more experienced foes.