Weightlifting federation seeks new coach for Hidilyn as WC looms

Hidilyn Diaz is still chasing after a World Championships gold medal. —FRANCIS T. J. OCHOA

The Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) will push anew for a Chinese coach for Hidilyn Diaz, Monico Puentevella, the federation’s president, said on Tuesday.

“Once I return to Manila, I will talk to [Philippine Sports Commission] chair [William] Ramirez and request for a Chinese coach since coach Gao [Kaiwan] will become a consultant for Hidilyn,’’ said the former Bacolod representative in Congress, who is currently in Las Vegas supporting Sen. Manny Pacquiao in his latest fight.

Diaz, the nation’s first Olympic gold medalist, goes back on the mat and hurdle in her next tournament—one where she hasn’t won a gold before.

Puentevella told sports journalists that Diaz would resume training on Sept. 20 in Malaysia, her training ground for 18 months prior to the Tokyo Olympics, to get ready for the 2021 IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) World Championships in Lima, Peru.

“They are planning to go back to Malaysia next month and train for the world championships slated in November,’’ said Puentevella during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum.

The event kicks off Nov. 1.

The 30-year-old Diaz has won gold medals in almost every tournament except in the Worlds. The event is different from the 2020 Roma World Cup where Diaz nailed three gold medals in the snatch, clean and jerk and total.

Diaz brought home three silvers in the 2015 edition of the Worlds in Houston, claimed a silver (clean and jerk) and one bronze (total) in Anaheim, California, in 2017, and a pair of silvers in 2019 in Thailand.

While the search for a new Chinese coach is ongoing, Puentevella said Diaz would have conditioning coach Julius Naranjo as her chief mentor, with Gao, one of the chief architects of Diaz’s Olympic triumph, staying in the background as consultant.

Gao had sought a release from his contract to fly home and reunite with his family, who he hadn’t seen in a long time.

There had been reports that China might no longer be as willing to assign a coach from its vaunted stable to Diaz, after the Filipino star upset world record holder Liao Qiuyun in the 55-kilogram women’s final in Tokyo.

“I’m not worried if China doesn’t give us a coach, because we also have good Filipino coaches,’’ he said. INQ