Diaz has Paris in sight; Olympic gold medalist keeps Ando at Bay

MANILA, Philippines — Tokyo Olympics weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz won her anticipated showdown with countrywoman Elreen Ando for that lone Philippine berth to next year’s Paris Games.

Gradually finding her groove in the heavier 59kg weight class after her pet 55kg division was scrapped from the Paris calendar, Diaz outperformed Ando in the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, South Korea yesterday to gain headway in their head-to-head Olympic race.

Diaz was patient, methodical in finishing with a total of 221kg – 99kg in snatch and 123kg in clean and jerk – while Ando paid dearly for her brazenness in going straight for 125kg in clean and jerk that she never completed in three tries.

Had Ando, an Olympian herself who also had a 99kg in snatch, completed it, she would have bested Diaz, who lifted 120kg and 123kg in succession before failing at 125kg.

But Diaz had already gotten the job done as she gained that needed advantage for a chance to make her fifth Olympic stint in the French capital and possibly replicate her historic feat in Tokyo two years ago.

Never mind that Diaz and Ando were swept under the rug by China’s best – Lou Shifang and Pei Xinyi – who took the three golds at stake with Lou topping the snatch (105kg) and total (238kg) and Pei (133kg) the clean and jerk.

Tokyo Olympics gold winner Kuo Hsing-Chun wound up with the bronze with a 230kg.

Diaz was fourth overall, albeit distantly.

“Grabe talaga, three Olympic and world champions in this category,” said an awed Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella.