Reaching for the summit

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

It must have come as a surprise that Hidilyn Diaz had just copped her first gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games. After all, Diaz is quite the accomplished athlete—Olympic silver medalist, Asian Games gold medalist—that it would have been safe to assume that a relatively small regional sports conclave like the SEA Games would have been her playground for so long.

But that medal had long been missing from her trophy case and just a few days ago, she finally had a SEA Games gold to show. And for someone who is world-rated, Diaz was still emotional after ruling the 55-kilogram class in women’s weightlifting—a triumph she fashioned out by practically obliterating the field in her weight class.

”It was overwhelming,” Diaz said, citing the chance to perform in front of an adoring throng of Filipinos at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

”She’s been longing for this,” longtime mentor Agustin Antonio told the Inquirer. “It’s only fitting she got the gold here, in front of everyone.”

Thirst to win

A gold at home to complete her medal collection. Diaz must be pretty satisfied by now, right? Wrong.‍‍‍‍

In fact, the SEA Games only heightened her thirst to win the one medal that still is of a different color in her.

The Zamboanga lass’ Olympic silver can still do with a little polish and Diaz hopes to train her way to the gold in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games.

It’s a daunting task, especially for someone from a country whose sports program isn’t exactly overflowing with funds. But she’s received a lot of support from private corporations, including Summit Bottled Water, which shares her belief that the Philippines’ gold medal drought should come to an end.”I think I’m close to Olympic form,” Diaz said in Filipino. She lifted a total of 211 kg to rule the women’s 55-kg division with ease, with her closest rival, Nguyen Thi, managing a mere 197-kg total.

Her domination has boosted her confidence as she prepares for her final stretch of preparation for next year’s Olympiad.

But at the same time, she knows that she cannot rest on her laurels.

“I know I have to improve my technique,” said Diaz, who failed to lift 94 kg in her third attempt in the snatch.

Refreshed, fulfilled

The enlisted airwoman sergeant in the Philippine Air Force said she already has her mental mantra to remind her of her goal when times go rough.

“You just need the patience in training. Even though you’re hurting, just know that what you do is for the gold. Just love what you’re doing,” she said.

And she totally loves her quest to finally gift the country its first Olympic gold.

“I know in the Olympics that we can do it,” she said.

But she also admits that the road ahead is long and weary, and that there will be times when the world will leave her parched and empty.

But she is prepared for such stumbles. In fact, whatever obstacles lie in wait for her, she will treat as a rung she needs to climb to accomplish her goal. She said that it is by overcoming these challenges that she will emerge refreshed and fulfilled.‘Go higher’

‍“As an athlete, you need to go down in order to go higher.”

And that’s not merely a soundbite. In fact, her failed attempt at a 95-kg lift in the snatch was part of her trek to Olympic glory.

”I needed to know where I am right now,” Diaz said on Monday. “I feel like I’m now strong.”

As far as game plan goes, Diaz knows that grabbing that Olympic gold means booking a ticket to Tokyo first.

And to snatch an Olympic berth, she said the “goal is to get points in the qualifiers.”

Diaz has set that as her target when she goes to the Roma World Cup in Italy in January and the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan in April—two stops she needs to make if she hopes to make herself eligible for the Tokyo Games.

Fourteen Olympic slots are up for grabs during the qualification phase, which runs until April.

Eight will come from the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) rankings, five from each continent within that list, and then one from ‍‍either the host nation or through a Tripartite Commission invitation.

As things stand, Diaz has  2,731.76 points, good for ninth spot in IWF’s rankings. On that same list are four Chinese bets.

Matyas Lencser, competition manager at IWF, said a country can only send one bet for each event.

Still, Diaz assured her backers and her team that she will not leave anything to chance.

In fact, she is looking for flaws in her golden performance in these Games, hoping to spot things she needs to fine-tune. She also has specific goals set already, and ways to make sure she hits that goal.‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

“I think I’m going to go for 95 kg or 100 [in the snatch],” Diaz said. “I’ll double the work on my pulls and extensions.” More importantly, Diaz feels she has to work on her headspace.

“[I have to strengthen] my mind-set—keep telling myself I can do a good lift.”