TOKYO - If Hidilyn Diaz had retirement thoughts swirling in her head prior to the Tokyo Olympics, they're gone.
For now.
A day after delivering the country's first-ever gold medal in the 55-kilogram division of weightlifting, Diaz, 30, said she is looking forward to competing in the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, and the weightlifting world championships.
Any thoughts on retirement that may have been fostered by a challenging run-up to the Tokyo Olympics, both in her training and personal life, have been banished by a golden performance that proved she has more to give.
The historic performance, which saw Diaz set two Olympic records in the clean and jerk [127kg] and total lift [224kg], appeared to reinvigorate Diaz, who also refuses to rule herself out of defending her title in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
"Hindi pa ako stop, kaya ko pa," said the two-time Olympic medalist in a press conference on Tuesday morning. "I will focus on the SEA Games, the Asian Games, at meron pa kaming world championships."
'May ibibigay pa ako'
The next world weightlifting championships is set in Chongqing, China next year. And because of the one-year delay in the staging of the Tokyo Games, the next Olympics in Paris will happen in three years' time, by which time Diaz would be 33.
With a Olympic gold and silver already in her wide collection of medals, the Philippine Air Force reservist said that at this stage of her career, all she wants is to pave the way for the next generation of weightlifters.
"May ibibigay pa ako. Kailangan tuloy-tuloy hangga't meron ng susunod sa akin," she said.
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