TOKYO— Hidilyn Diaz already has an Olympic silver medal from 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. She gets a chance to better that result when she competes in the Tokyo Olympics women’s weightlifting competitions on Monday at Tokyo International Forum.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” Diaz, who is competing in her fourth Olympics said before flying to Tokyo.
The road to the gold will not be easy. In her path is Chinese world record holder Liao Qiuyun of China, who many have tagged as the favorite in the 55-kilogram division.
But Julius Naranjo, Diaz’s strength and conditioning coach, said it would be unwise to sleep on the reigning Asian Games champion. “You will expect Hidilyn lift weights that you’ve never seen before. She’s on track. She’s going to put on a show,” Naranjo said.
Naranjo added that Diaz has been hitting new personal marks this late in her career, a good sign as she prepares to bolster the Philippines’ medal hopes in the Summer Games.
