Hidilyn Diaz wins three golds in the 2022 World Weightlifting Championship.–Coach Jeaneth Aro/FacebookMANILA, Philippines — Hidilyn Diaz has finally added the elusive World Weightlifting Championship gold to her collection as she ruled the women’s 55-kilogram division on Thursday (Manila time) in Bogota, Colombia.
The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist tallied a total lift of 207kg to beat Rosalba Morales of Colombia and Ana Gabriela Lopez of Mexico, winning all three gold medals in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total.
Diaz lifted 93kg in the snatch to win her first gold in the world championship and recorded 114 kg to top the clean and jerk.
With an assured medal in clean and jerk, she tried to lift 117kg and 121kg but failed.
Morales wound up with the silver medal including a bronze in snatch and silver in clean and jerk with a total lift of 199kg while Lopez came up a close third with a total of 198kg after a silver finish in snatch.
Diaz, the 31-year-old weightlifting icon, has finally captured the missing World Championship crown to her collection which includes gold medals from the Olympics last year, Asian Games, and Southeast Asian Games.
The world championship gold is something Diaz has been chasing since settling for bronze finishes in the women’s 53kg division in 2015 and 2017 and another bronze in the 55kg division in 2019. She backed out of the weightlifting worlds at Tashkent last year, a few months after winning the historic Olympics gold.
The Bogota world competition is part of Diaz’s bid to qualify for Paris 2024, where she seeks her fifth Olympics appearance.
“It’s official! We’ve kicked off our Paris 2024 Journey with a decent start and ended our year with 3 Gold medals in the Snatch/CJ/Total, going 93/114/207. Not our best showing but a historical one being the First Filipina to win a World Championships,” said strength and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo, who is also Hidilyn’s husband, in a Facebook post.
“It’s been definitely a journey coming back, Hidilyn Diaz and I have accomplished a lot in 2022. From winning the Philippines first ever Olympics [gold], to getting married, and to winning our 2nd Southeast Asian Games Gold Medal.”
The two wed last July on the first anniversary of Hidilyn’s Olympic win.
Other Filipinos also competed in the tournament. Nestor Colonia, who won bronze in the 2015 edition of the world championship in the 56kg divison, finished seventh in men’s 55kg, while Lovely Inan and Rosegie Ramos saw action in the women’s 49kg class and placed 13th and 17th, respectively.
Fellow Tokyo Olympian Erleen Ando participates in the women’s 59kg competition, Vanessa Sarno and Kristel Macrohon the women’s 71 kg, while Dave Lloyd Pacaldo takes part in the men’s 67kg.
