China’s blunder an act of God

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Weightlifting Association president emeritus Monico Puentevella said yesterday an act of God led to Hidilyn Diaz’ silver finish in the 53 kilogram division at the Rio Olympics and if not for China’s crucial blunder in the clean-and-jerk, it would’ve been a bronze.

“China was too ambitious,” said Puentevella in a phone call from Rio. “They wanted to set a new Olympic record and didn’t realize Li Yajun’s first lift of 123 kilograms in the clean-and-jerk was nullified. So they went up to 126 kilograms for the second lift and she couldn’t do it. Under the rules, you can’t go back down after you set a new limit. They were forced to try 126 again for the third lift and it was just too heavy for Li.”

Li, 23, was a shoo-in for the gold. She lifted 101 kilograms in the snatch, setting a new Olympic standard, and needed to hoist only 112 in the clean-and-jerk to top the field of 13 contenders. Li set a limit of 123 for her first lift and after the hoist, thought it was counted. “I noticed the referees gave me two white lights and one red light which meant I succeeded,” Li told the Chinese news agency Xinhua. “I didn’t know that the jury later changed its decision.” The lift was invalidated due to elbow bending but Li missed the call.

Technical official Karl Rimbock explained that the jury has the right to change its decision after review. In Li’s case, the jury rejected the first lift because her left elbow went unsteady. Li and her coaches were unaware of the change when they decided to go for 126 kilograms in the second lift. A valid lift of 126 would’ve increased Li’s total to 227 for a new Olympic record. It would’ve also sealed the gold for Li. But she failed to clear 126 in two lifts to bomb out of contention, dropping out of the race in last place. Li went from a sure gold to the bottom of the ladder.

It wasn’t a strong start for Diaz as she lifted only 88 in the snatch, favoring a slight shoulder pain. She’d lifted 98 in the Southeast Asian Championships last year. To make up for it, she set a limit of 111 for her first clean-and-jerk lift. Korea’s Yoon Jin-hee lifted 111 to put up her total to 199 so Diaz, who was tied for fourth place in the snatch, had to hoist one more kilogram to clinch the bronze after Chinese Taipei’s Shu Ching Hsu and Li. She lifted 112 on her second trip to make it. Diaz tried to lift 117 on her third attempt but failed in settling for a total of 200. Her personal high is 213. When Li crashed, Diaz moved up from third to second for the silver.

“It was probably one out of 10 that China would make a blunder like that,” said Puentevella. “I’m afraid someone will pay for the mistake. It was an act of God. We were celebrating Hidilyn’s bronze in the dressing room when all of a sudden, we were told Li was out and Hidilyn got the silver. We all started to cry.”

Diaz was tied for fourth place with Yoon after the snatch and had to overcome a huge deficit for a podium finish. “She refused to give up, that’s the heart of Hidilyn,” said Puentevella. “For 12 years, I was president of the Philippine Weightlifting Association then my executive assistant Roger Dollano took over. I became president emeritus. I saw Hidilyn mature through the years. When Hidilyn was 17, we brought her to the Beijing Olympics as a wildcard. Then, she qualified for the London Olympics. We took her all over the world to gain experience. She even competed once in Paris. The PSC, POC and MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) supported her all the way. We knew her potential.”

Puentevella said when he entered the weightlifting program 15 years ago, coaches Alvin de los Santos and Tony Agustin were in the process of developing a core of young prospects in Zamboanga. Through the years, the coaching staff took in Dondon Aldanete, Ramon Solis, Samuel Alegada and Gregorio Colonia. “We usually rotate our coaches for international competitions,” said Puentevella. “But we stuck to Dondon for Rio as he was with Hidilyn when she won gold at the Asian Championships in Phuket and took three bronze medals at the World Championships in Houston last year.”

Puentevella called Diaz his baby. “We’re so proud of her,” he said. “She’ll be 29 at the next Olympics in Tokyo. She’ll only get better. Dropping down from 58 kilograms to 53 was a big factor.” As for the country’s other Rio weightlifting bet Nestor Colonia, Puentevella said the experience will go a long way in preparing him for future competitions. “It’s his first Olympics, he lacked confidence and was very nervous,” he said. “You can’t blame him. He had a headache when he went up for his second lift and was never the same again. We’re hoping he continues to train, work hard and improve for Tokyo.”