Palarong Pambansa awakens Diaz-Naranjo’s desire for 2028 Olympics stint

Philippines’ Hidilyn Diaz competes in the women’s 55kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo International Forum in Tokyo on July 26, 2021. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP)

Something must have stirred inside Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo after witnessing her nephew ascend the medal platform during the awarding ceremony in the recent Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy Games.

The country’s weightlifting celebrity, the first Filipino to win a gold medal in the Olympics, is now craving for another shot at glory in the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

“I want to compete in Los Angeles. I think I can still do it,” said Diaz-Naranjo after Team HD flourished in the weightlifting competitions of the Games, showcasing the best Filipino youth athletes from 30 sports.

Diaz-Naranjo ended nearly a century of waiting for an Olympic champions when she ruled the 55-kilogram (kg) class of women’s weightlifting competition in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, which was held in 2021 due to the pandemic.

But with the Olympics restructuring the weight classes of her sport, Diaz-Naranjo’s 55kg was among those removed to streamline competitions. As a result, she was forced to compete in the heavier 59kg class, where she lost out in the qualifying process to teammate Elreen Ann Ando.

Four Olympic stints

She had hinted before that Paris would be her last Olympics, even using the hashtag #lastlift at one point. But Diaz-Naranjo has never officially said she will retire and, in fact, has said she would love to compete for the country in the future.

Now 33, the sports icon from Zamboanga City saw action in four Olympics, claiming a silver medal in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Games before finally striking gold in Tokyo. She began her Olympic career in 2008 in Beijing. She will be 37 during the LA Olympics.

In the meantime, Diaz-Naranjo and husband Julius Naranjo continue to train aspiring weightlifters and brought the finest young stars from their grassroots training camp in Jalajala, Rizal province, to the Puerto Princesa City meet last week.

They boosted the stock of their team, which delivered four golds in weightlifting with Team HD’s Matthew Diaz (boys 43kg 13-under) and Adonis Ramos Jr. (boys 55kg 17-under), among them.

“I was really excited to see my nephew win the gold. It was here in Puerto Princesa where I competed in my first Batang Pinoy back in 2001,” Diaz-Naranjo told the Inquirer.

Although Los Angeles is still four years away, Diaz-Naranjo still feels excitement when she pictures herself competing on the grandest stage in sports. But she won’t make any decision yet on her wish to compete in Los Angeles.

“I will know if I’ll be ready to go through the Olympic qualifications two years before Los Angeles,” said Diaz-Naranjo.

“Many things could possibly happen in four years. We don’t know. But once I decide to go for another shot in the Olympics, I’ll again give it my all in training,” she added. INQ