THREE-TIME Olympian Hidilyn Diaz showed that she remains a force to reckon with by bagging a silver and a bronze medal in the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation on Friday morning at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
The Zamboanguena pride lifted 86 kgs in the snatch and 113 kgs in the clean and jerk for a total of 199 points, placing third behind overall winner Sopita Tanasan of Thailand, who tallied 210 points (96-114) and second finisher Kristina Shermetova (91-113).
Unlike in the Olympics where the weight category gives out only one medal for the overall score, the World tournaments also award a separate medal each for the snatch and clean and jerk.
As a result, Diaz will also take home a silver medal for her lift of 113 kgs. in the clean and jerk. She and Shermetova ended up with the same score, but the Filipina was rewarded for getting the tally in only her second attempt. Shermetova got it in her third.
But the official ranking counts only the total finish.
Diaz, who had to shed three kilos and barely made the cut in the 53-kg category, was just a point ahead of fourth and fifth placers Supattra Kaewkhong of Thailand Joanna Lochowska of Poland, respectively.
Supattra was the gold medalist in the 48 kgs division in Rio Olympics and just moved up in weight in this world tourney that is held every two years.
Going into the tournament, Diaz was focused on matching her personal best of 98 kgs in snatch and 118 kgs in clean and jerk—numbers that netted her the silver in last year’s Rio Olympics.
She was coming off a bronze-medal finish in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan last September.
Diaz earned decent points in her bid to qualify for the Olympics again in Tokyo in 2020.
Hsu Shu-ching of Taipei was a big letdown when she failed to produce a score in the clean and jerk, putting to naught her top-charting 93 kgs in the snatch. After completing the snatch, Shu did not come out in her turn at the clean and jerk, suggesting an injury.
Hsu, who was the gold medalist in the same event in Rio Olympics, ended up with five others at the bottom.