Hidilyn Diaz on track in training for Paris Olympics

MANILA, Philippines -- With about a  year to go before the 2024 Paris Olympics, gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz’s training is “going as it should.”

On the sidelines of the All Out Games at the Filinvest Tent in Muntinlupa City Saturday, Diaz’s coach, Julius Naranjo, told Philstar.com that the champion weightlifter will be participating in three more qualifying tournaments ahead of the Olympics.

Diaz will also compete in the upcoming Asian Games in China later this year.

“Hidilyn will [play in the Asian Games,] we just confirmed that she qualified for the Asian Games,” Naranjo told Philstar.com.

“After the world championships, we will do a camp in Japan. Then, we will go to China from that camp. So, it will be Saudi Arabia, to Japan, to China,” he added.

Naranjo underscored the importance of trusting the process as they prepare for the Olympics.

“We have to understand that everything is a build-up. You will not find results right away and I feel like if we have our results now, it will not be a good determinant of what our results will be in Paris,” he said.

“So, it is really about going through the process, trusting the process and building our way up towards success,” he added.

Naranjo said that they are just taking the preparations slowly, and setting their goals and hitting one step at a time.

“As long as we’re in the top eight, we already have the chance to qualify. As long as we sustain our build up, our momentum, it will allow us to stay within the rankings which is important,” he added.

Diaz won the Philippines’ first Olympic gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.