Hangzhou, China, October 3, 2023: With every passing competition along the road to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, the Philippines’ champion weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz grows more confident as she climbs up the leaderboard.
Success is nothing new for the 32-year-old reigning Olympic champion, who won the gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 and was the Asian Games champion in Jakarta in 2018, but Monday’s fourth place finish represents another step towards her ultimate goal.
To date, Diaz’s achievements have come in lighter weight classes, her Olympic gold – the Philippines’ first in any sport – won at 55kg, 4kg lighter than the division in which she performed in Hangzhou and where she hopes to compete next summer.
“It’s hard,” she said of the step up. “For the first six months, seven months I wondered: can I still do it? I’ve had injuries and it’s really hard to gain the strength and it’s really hard to gain the confidence. I’m learning how to get strong, to be competitive in 59kgs.”
The Asian Games was the third time Diaz has competed in the heavier weight class this year, finishing fourth at the Asian championships in Jinju, Republic of Korea in May before a seventh place finish at the world championships in Riyadh in September.
Facing off against lifters who have spent more of their careers in the division means she is playing catch-up.
“The advantage for them is that they know their opponents,” she said. “They know everything already. I competed three weeks ago and I don’t know who they are, so that’s why I get anxious. I don’t know what to expect when they compete.
“The advantage too is that they already have the strength. They only have to maintain it and get stronger. I have to get stronger in my body and my mental toughness has to be prepared for everything.
“If I go back to 55 I will excel but at 59 it’s all unknown. Over the years I’ve been a gold medalist but here I am at 59 and I’m in the top seven, sometimes it’s the top 15 and I don’t know where I am but I keep going because this is the dream I have, I want to go to Paris in 2024.
“I still have to train and do my best and push myself to the limit. That’s the thing I have to do. It gives me a little bit of confidence that I’ve done it before.”
Diaz missed out on a medal in Hangzhou and finished 23kg short of the gold medal-winning performance from DPR Korea’s Kim Il Gyong, but she was encouraged by her performance at the 19th Asian Games.
“I’m happy with my result, I’m happy that I did my best for the Philippines,” she said. “This is not Olympic qualifying so I do my best here to represent my country even though I had only three weeks to prepare.”