Hidilyn Diaz missed the podium in her first foray in the 59kgs event, settling for a fourth place finish in the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championship in Jinju, South Korea on Sunday, May 7.
*Although falling short for the podium, Hidilyn Diaz did fairly well for her first competition under the 59kgs event
* The country’s first Olympic gold medalist did fairly well in her first competition since moving up to the heavier weight, successfully lifting a total of 221 kilograms after a best record of 99kgs in snatch and 122kgs in clean and jerk. The effort, however, went down the drain as it still fell short for the bronze medal which was won by Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Kuo Hsing Chun of Chinese Taipei who lifted a total of 230kgs. China had a 1-2 finish with Luo Shifang lording over the competition with 238kgs while teammate Pei Xinyi nabbed the silver after lifting a total of 236kgs. Diaz opened her campaign with a successful lift of 93kgs in her first attempt in snatch before going for a heavier 97kgs in the second. Diaz had her best lift in his third and final attempt with 99 kgs to also finish fourth in snatch. She completed a 118kgs lift to begin the clean and jerk before recording 122kgs in the second attempt. Diaz tried to go for 125kgs but couldn’t finish it, settling for the fifth spot. Diaz’s teammate Elreen Ando stumbled in the competition after failing to record a lift in the clean and jerk putting her best lift of 99kgs in the snatch to waste.