HIDILYN Diaz returns to the big stage as she competes in the 2022 IWF World Championships in Bogota, Colombia.
Following her conquest in the Tokyo Olympics, Diaz now vies for her first world title in the women 55kg on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).
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Even with her strong showing in other events including the Olympics, Diaz has yet to get to the top spot in the worlds, taking bronze medals in 2015 in Houston, 2017 in Anaheim, and 2019 in Pattaya, Thailand.
Aside from a chance at her first world championship, Diaz is also looking for a good showing with the Bogota competition part of the qualification process for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It will also be Diaz’s major tournament since the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in May where she claimed the gold medal, and also her first since getting married to her coach Julius Naranjo last July.
Diaz will be competing against 11 other weightlifters although noticeably absent is Liao Quiyun of China, her closest nemesis when she won the Olympic gold in Tokyo last year.
Prior to the trip to Bogota, Diaz had a camp in the US where she trained with American weightlifters Jourdan Dela Cruz and Kate Vibert, and fellow Olympic champion Maude Charron of Canada.
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