RIO Olympics silver medalist Hidylin Diaz is now ranked No. 1 in the women’s 55 kilogram division of the International Weightlifting Federation world ratings, a development that should boost her bid to win a medal in the Tokyo Games.
Diaz, who broke the country’s 20-year-old Olympic medal drought by bagging the silver medal in the 2016 Olympics, will own this distinction going into the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan set to start tomorrow where she expects to formalize her entry to the Tokyo Olympics in July.
Also a gold medalist in the 2018 Asian Games and 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, Diaz topped the list after sweeping the women’s 55kg class in the IWF World Cup in Rome in January last year with a combined lift of 212 kilos.
She also took the mints in the snatch (93) and the clean-and-jerk (119).
Nigeria’s Adijat Adenike Olarinoye is running second (202) while Uzbekistan’s Muattar Nabieva is third (200) in the ratings based on nine IWF competitions held worldwide in 2020.
Curiously, the three Chinese who were rated higher over in the 2019 IWF ratings — Liao Qiuyun, Zhang Wanqiong and Li Yajun, who were Nos. 1 to 3, respectively – were not in the 2020 rankings.
Under the weightlifting Olympic qualification process, the top eight lifters in each Olympic weight division by the cut-off date at the end of April will advance to the Tokyo Olympic Games as long as they have completed a minimum of six IWF-sanctioned Olympic ranking events.
Diaz needs only one more competition to complete that requirement and can do so when she competes on Sunday.
Once she finishes her outing without a hitch, she will emerge as the country’s seventh Olympic qualifier after pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo and boxers Eumir Felix Marcial, Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petectio and Irish Magno.
Training in Malaysia for over a year through the backing of the Philippine Sports Commission, the Zamboanga City pride left Kuala Lumpur over the weekend together with Chinese coach Kaiwen Gao and fitness and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo.
Diaz is expected to be joined by nutritionist Jeaneth Aro, whom she requested to be a part of her team, and the rest of the national weightlifting squad scheduled to leave for the Uzbek capital yesterday, according to weightlifting chief Monico Puentevella.
Also in the national contingent are Olympic hopeful and 2019 SEA Games gold medalist Kristel Macrohon, Mary Flor Diaz, Ellen Rose Perez, Erleen Ann Ando and Vanessa Sarno, John Tabique, John Ceniza plus coaches Nicolas Jaluag and Gary Hortelano.
Puentevella said Macrohon seems to have a good chance of making the grade since she won two silver medals in the Rome World Cup in the clean-and-jerk (115) and combined lifts (209), respectively, in the women’s 71 kg division.
Macrohon is ranked No. 6 in 71kg division entering the Asian meet, but her weight class is not included in the list of events for Tokyo. Instead, she will see action in the 76kg where she is not rated and needs to achieve a podium finish to merit Olympic consideration.
