MANILA — Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, will not participate in the upcoming Asian Weightlifting Championships, a crucial qualifier for the Paris Olympics.
The decision comes after the 32-year-old athlete from Zamboanga experienced leg cramps during the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar, held from December 4 to 14, 2023, where she competed in the women’s 59kg category.
Having clinched the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold in the women’s 55kg category in 2021 and securing another victory in the same category at the 2022 World Championships in Bogota, Colombia, Diaz-Naranjo now aims for a fifth Olympic appearance in the 59kg category. Notably, the 55kg category is excluded from the Paris Summer Games.
The roster for the Asian Championships, scheduled from February 3 to 10 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, will include siblings Rose Jean (W45kg) and Rosegie Ramos (W49kg), Kristel Macrohon (W71kg) of Zamboanga City, Lovely Inan of Angono, Rizal (W49kg), Elreen Ann Ando (W59kg) of Cebu City, and Vanessa Sarno of Bohol (W71kg). Monico Puentevella, president of the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP), will head the delegation, accompanied by coaches Ramon Solis, Patrick Lee, Richard Pep Agosto, and Kelle Kay Rojas.
Although all five athletes participated in the Grand Prix in Qatar, only 18-year-old Rose Jean Ramos secured a podium finish, winning silver in snatch (70kgs), clean and jerk (85kgs), and total (155kgs).
Following the Asian Championships, the team is set to compete in the World Cup scheduled from March 31 to April 11 in Phuket, Thailand. This event serves as the last Olympic qualifier, and athletes are expected to vie for quota places based on the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking tournaments held from August 1, 2022, to April 28, 2024.
The Paris Olympic Games are slated to take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
(el Amigo/MNM)