Olympic Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz Sets Sights on Gold Medal
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo games, 30-year-old weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz is preparing for her fourth appearance at the Olympics in Malaysia.
The Filipino athlete has been there training ever since February of 2020.
Her chances to even qualify for the Toyko games seemed doubtful; Diaz missed a podium finish by the slimmest of margins at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan.
A silver medalist in the 2016 Rio games, Diaz expects to do better this time around:
"The pressure is so high."
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) June 9, 2021
30-year-old weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz has been stuck in Malaysia since early 2020 due to #Covid19. After taking silver in the 2016 #Olympics, @diaz_hidilyn hopes to bring home the first-ever gold medal for the Philippines at #Tokyo2020 in Japan pic.twitter.com/bFrKVvnftC
In fact, she set a new personal record this month in the Jerk with approximately 285 lbs:
Diaz will be one of the frontrunners to win gold, given her history at the games. But for the time being, she’s putting in the work to avoid falling short:
Carrying the weight of a country.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 27, 2021
Hidilyn Diaz, who took silver in Rio 2016, has been stuck in Malaysia since early 2020 because of the pandemic but she remains determined to realise her dream of becoming the Philippines' first #Olympic gold medal winnerhttps://t.co/tUIAgXUPOC pic.twitter.com/xVDJ97YuiL
Her appearance in Tokyo will likely be Diaz’s last at the Olympics.
“I’m ready. I can’t say at what percent, but I’m there — my mind is there, my heart is there, physically it’s there,” Diaz told AFP.
As the only woman in the history of the Philippines to win an Olympic medal, the legacy of Diaz sits right there alongside that of boxer Manny Pacquiao in the country’s pantheon of sporting icons.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
MOST POPULAR
Olympic Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz Sets Sights on Gold Medal
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo games, 30-year-old weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz is preparing for her fourth appearance at the Olympics in Malaysia.
The Filipino athlete has been there training ever since February of 2020.
Her chances to even qualify for the Toyko games seemed doubtful; Diaz missed a podium finish by the slimmest of margins at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan.
A silver medalist in the 2016 Rio games, Diaz expects to do better this time around:
"The pressure is so high."
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) June 9, 2021
30-year-old weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz has been stuck in Malaysia since early 2020 due to #Covid19. After taking silver in the 2016 #Olympics, @diaz_hidilyn hopes to bring home the first-ever gold medal for the Philippines at #Tokyo2020 in Japan pic.twitter.com/bFrKVvnftC
In fact, she set a new personal record this month in the Jerk with approximately 285 lbs:
Diaz will be one of the frontrunners to win gold, given her history at the games. But for the time being, she’s putting in the work to avoid falling short:
Carrying the weight of a country.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 27, 2021
Hidilyn Diaz, who took silver in Rio 2016, has been stuck in Malaysia since early 2020 because of the pandemic but she remains determined to realise her dream of becoming the Philippines' first #Olympic gold medal winnerhttps://t.co/tUIAgXUPOC pic.twitter.com/xVDJ97YuiL
Her appearance in Tokyo will likely be Diaz’s last at the Olympics.
“I’m ready. I can’t say at what percent, but I’m there — my mind is there, my heart is there, physically it’s there,” Diaz told AFP.
As the only woman in the history of the Philippines to win an Olympic medal, the legacy of Diaz sits right there alongside that of boxer Manny Pacquiao in the country’s pantheon of sporting icons.