Three-time Olympian Hidilyn Diaz remained productive, while stranded in Kuala Lumpur.
After raising funds for 39 families in her hometown, she is expected to return to Manila once the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine and Malaysia’s lockdown measures are over.
Diaz will meet with fellow lifters seeking qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, which has been reset for next year.
She is currently in Kuala Lumpur with her support team, unable to go home since the country imposed its own lockdown last March 18, in line with both the Malaysian and Philippine governments’ effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Philippine government imposed its lockdown measures starting on March 15, three days after of Malaysia, which is currently on the third phase of its quarantine.
The Philippines’ quarantine period ends on April 30, while Malaysia’s will be over on April 28.
Diaz has since confined herself indoors in KL, but continued her training.
“As we are experiencing Phase 3 of the MCO (movement control order) or extended lockdown/quarantine, let’s continue to abide by the law, continue to practice social distancing, wear masks, and (practice) hand washing. This doesn’t just apply to me and my coaches here in Malaysia, but to my fellow Filipinos back home. The frontliners are risking their lives for us and we should do our part as well. They cannot make it without our cooperation,” wrote Diaz on her Facebook message.
Despite her distance from her family in the Philippines, she was still able conduct an online weightlifting seminar last April 12, with an initial 36 participants.
The funds raised from the seminar helped fund relief packs for 39 families undergoing community quarantine in her hometown in Mampang, Zamboanga City.
“The second batch of relief [ackages was delivered to 39 families in Pioquinto Drive, Mampang Zamboanga City. Thank you to all who donated and participated in my Weightlifting Seminar For A Cause and thank you Ma’am Jeaneth Aro for donating and the advice to give more ‘gulay’ and eggs for the affected families. Thank you to Rowel Garcia and to my families for distributing the goods,” continued Diaz.
After the International Olympic Committee pushed the date for Tokyo Olympics for next year, the International Weightlifting Federation said it is now working on resolving its Olympic qualification system.
“Thanks to this decision, an important part of the uncertainty being faced by athletes with Olympic ambitions has now been removed. We will now work with the IOC to expedite the resolution of the Olympic Qualifying System for weightlifting, in order to provide weightlifters with further certainty,” said IWF Acting President Ursula Papandrea.
While in Malaysia, the 29-year-old Diaz and her support group called off their trip to Cali, Colombia, where she was set to see action in the 2020 Ibero-America Open and Open Senior Weightlifting Championships. This was after Colombia closed its borders in response to the coronavirus threat.
Diaz is training with Chinese mentor Kaiwen Gao and strength and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo.
She is currently ranked no. 5 in in the world in the 55kg women’s category, with 3,717.0982 points.
Chinese lifters in Jiang Huihua (4,667.8878), Liao Qiuyun (4,288.9622), Zhang Wangqiong (4,212.6639) and Li Yajun (4,099.0223) are ahead of her in the rankings.
Under the IWF rules, only one weightlifter per country will advance to Tokyo, with only the top eight athletes per category earning Olympic spots.
Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Kristel Macrohon, Rio Olympic veteran Nestor Colonia, Eileen Ando, John Ceniza and her sisiter Mary Flor Diaz are also seeking Olympic qualifying berths.
