Hidilyn Diaz eyes another podium finish at 2022 World Weightlifting Championships
Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz is all set to return to the podium in the 2022 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships, which began on Dec. 5 and will run until Dec. 16 16 in Bogota, Colombia.
Diaz will compete in the women’s 55kg division, the same category she ruled in the Tokyo Games wherein she got the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal.
Diaz trained for this year's IWF World Championships at a training camp in Suwanee, Georgia along with two-time Pan American champion Jourdan Delacruz, Canadian 64kg Olympic champion Maude Charron, and American Olympic 76kg silver medalist Kate Vibert (formerly Katherine Nye).
Prior to flying to Colombia, Diaz won back-to-back gold medals in the women's 55kg weightlifting competition at the 31st Southeast Asian Games held in Vietnam last May.
In an interview with Olympics.com, the 31-year-old athlete said that her latest win serves as a stepping stone toward her goal to clinch another gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"This is the beginning of my journey towards Paris 2024," Diaz said. "I'm excited. [It will be a] little bit challenging to qualify again in Paris. But again, I will do my best with Team HD."
Along with Diaz, eight other Filipino weightlifters seeking podium finishes at the 2022 IWF World Championships are Rosegie Ramos and Lovely Inan (women's 49-kg), Elreen Ando (women's 59-kg), Vanessa Sarno and Kristel Macrohon (women's 71-kg), Nestor Colonia (men's 55-kg), John Febuar Ceniza (men's 61-kg) and Dave Lloyd Pacaldo (men's 67-kg).
Diaz is scheduled to compete on Thursday, Dec. 8 (Manila time).