By Myris Lee
Filipina Olympian Hidilyn Diaz added another gold medal to her collection.
Diaz on Friday, May 20, defended her weightlifting crown in the women’s 55 kilogram (kg) class of the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Diaz, 31, lifted 92 kg in snatch and 114kg in clean and jerk for a total of 206kg, 3kg higher than fellow Olympian Sanikun Tanasan of Thailand.
It was a neck-to-neck match for Diaz and Tanasan as both have already proven their prowess in international weightlifting events.
Tanasan had a 1-kg lead over Diaz after the snatch following her 93-kg lift, temporarily leading the match with 203-kg in the clean and jerk.
But Diaz revolted and carried 114-kg in her first attempt to snatch the lead from Tanasan who failed to carry the same weight in her last attempt.
Diaz, tried to set a new SEA Games record of 121kg in her third attempt but failed.
Meanwhile, the Philippine weightlifting team is expected to bring more medals until May 22 at the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center. – gb
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