Tokyo hopeful Hidilyn Diaz spends holidays away from family to train

FILE – Philippines’ Hidilyn Diaz competes in the women’s clean and jerk 55kg weightlifting at the 30th SEA Games 2019. INQUIRER PHOTO/ Sherwin Vardeleon

MANILA, Philippines—The holidays are usually spent with families and close friends surrounding a table abundant with food.

Hidilyn Diaz, however, is spending the holiday season with her coaches and metal plates amounting to more than a hundred kilograms with only one goal in mind.

Diaz, who recently struck gold in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, is hard at work training for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with the Roma World Cup 2020 just weeks away.

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“People wonder why I am not home in Zamboanga for the holidays, but as we get closer to #Tokyo2020 I can’t stop my training since we are four weeks out from competition,” said Diaz on her social media accounts.

Diaz, who won the silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics of the -53 kilograms division, is looking to ultimately grab the gold in Tokyo after she moved up a couple of kilograms higher.

Joining Diaz in her preparation for the Summer Games are coaches Kaiwen Gao, Julius Naranjo, and the rest of Team HD.

https://sports.inquirer.net/379957/breaking-scaling-olympus

“These are the sacrifices us athletes and coaches make to achieve the dream for our country and I am grateful for coach Kaiwen Gao, Julius, and the rest of #TeamHD for staying with me through this journey,” said Diaz.

“We all have one goal. For those who truly understand and support me, I thank you for supporting me through this journey.”