Hidilyn’s journey

Hidilyn Diaz (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Weightlifting heroine Hidilyn Diaz has officially begun her quest for a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Diaz and six other Filipino lifters left Monday afternoon for Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where the 2018 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships will be held on Nov. 1 to 10.

The Ashgabat tourney, where the best lifters on the planet will converge, is the first of six qualifying tournaments sanctioned by the IWF where ranking points are offered to qualify for the Summer Games.

“Our goal is to have more qualifiers to the Olympics,” said Diaz, silver medalist in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. “It will give us more chances of winning that elusive gold medal.”

Joining Diaz, who ended the country’s 50-year gold-medal drought recently in the Indonesia Asian Games, are fellow Rio Olympian Nestor Colonia (men’s 61 kg) and Jeffrey Garcia (men’s 67 kg).

Rose Gie Ramos (45 kg), Ellen Rose Perez (49 kg), Elren Ann Ando (59 kg) and Kristel Macrohon (71 kg) will see action in the women’s category along with Diaz, who will jump from 53 kg to 55 kg, her new weight class based on the recent decision implemented by the IWF.

According to head coach Leonardo Llena, the Filipinos are aiming to secure the most points at stake in all six tournaments and gain more entries in different weight classes.

“We need to join all these tournaments to earn those points,” said Llena, a former national team member. “We could realize our dream of getting a first gold medal in the Olympics if we have more entries.”