FROM Olympic gold to a non-medal finish in the Southeast Asian Games, Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo’s journey has changed dramatically in four years, showing the unforgiving nature of high-level sport.
Diaz lifted 88 kgs and 90 kgs in the snatch and managed 110 kgs in the clean and jerk for a 200-kg total-a distant fourth place as Vietnam’s Thi Tam Quang came up with lifts of 96-119-215 for the bronze.
Thailand’s Suratwadee Yodsarn dominated with 224 kgs (96 kgs snatch and 128 kgs clean and jerk), while Indonesia’s Natasya Beteyob bagged the silver medal with a 98-120-218.
Still, Diaz-Naranjo remains the Philippines’ most celebrated weightlifter and one of the country’s greatest athletes despite the disappointment at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
‘Sorry,’ Diaz-Naranjo, who is trying to fight off a lingering right knee injury, said. ‘But I did my best.’
‘And this is my best for now because I have an injury and I’m having a hard time dropping weight because I gained weight. But it’s not an excuse. At the end of the day, I didn’t give up. I prepared and I’m happy to represent our country,’ Diaz said.
After a disheartening 2024, Diaz-Naranjo says she is motivated to return to competition and the missed podium in Thailand only fuels her drive.
‘After not qualifying for the Paris Olympics, I kind of lost motivation and this is my first international competition after 2024. I’m happy to be back again,’ said Diaz-Naranjo.
The toughest hurdle was returning to her top mental form, the Olympic champion said.
‘It’s not the physical training, it’s the mental training. That’s where I struggled. And I didn’t compete for almost two years.
‘I’m happy to be back,’ she added.
Eyeing LA 2028
DESPITE the struggles with the changes in weight classes-Diaz-Naranjo won the Olympic gold at 55kg, a division that was scrapped, which forced her to move up to 59 for the Paris Olympic qualification and now back to 58 in the Southeast Asian Games-the Filipina sports icon is determined to seek another shot at glory.
‘It keeps changing. Third time na ito ngayon. So tingnan natin, 61 kilos naman,’ Diaz-Naranjo said.
‘Hoping next year I’ll be qualifying for LA.’
She will be 37 in LA28, on her fourth Olympic cycle.
Beyond that, retirement looms on the horizon.
‘There are plans, because we are nearing retirement.’
‘But the SEA Games reignited the competitive fire in me.’
Tokyo Lift
HIDILYN Diaz-Naranjo reached the peak of her career in July 2021.
At the Tokyo International Forum, Diaz-Naranjo had a total lift of 224 kilograms to secure victory, ending the Philippines’ long search for an Olympic gold medal.
Diaz-Naranjo posted lifts of 97kg and 127kg for a 224kg total, edging her rival by a single kilogram.
Then the international weightlifting scene had major changes, with revised weight categories and stricter Olympic qualification rules ahead of the Paris 2024 Games.
Diaz-Naranjo, battling injuries and seeing action in limited events, fell short.
The SEA Games was expected to be a big comeback, but the 34-year-old Diaz-Naranjo was outside striking distance of a podium.
Still, officials note that the SEA Games debacle did not diminish her star power.