Olympians share expertise in BP

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Three Filipino Olympians have been spotted at the Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex here to help the next generation of athletes in the Batang Pinoy.

Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz said she oversees the weightlifters at her HD Weightlifting Academy and is receiving support from the private sector.

As a proud alumnus of the Batang Pinoy herself, Diaz wants the young weightlifters to give their best and make the most out of their stints in the tournament.

Diaz competed in the Summer Games since 2008 in Beijing where she entered as a wildcard.

“There have been people from the private sector helping us out,” Diaz said.

“I want them to give their best and not necessarily get medals. It only happens once a year so I want them to enjoy it.”

Another Olympian sharing her expertise with the next generation is 2000 Sydney Summer Games swimmer Jenny Guerrero.

Showing the ropes to Sophia Garra, Guerrero is impressed with how her ward works hard and keeps her head down despite already collecting three gold medals and one silver medal in the competition.

“She (Garra) works hard in training. The kid is good and she knows her goals,” Guerrero said.

“She is the kind of athlete that you want to coach.”

Meanwhile, 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics swimmer Jessie Lacuna is also in charge of handling the swimmers of Pasig City, which is the current frontrunner in the Batang Pinoy medal tally.

Lacuna said that ever since his stint at the Summer Games, he has wanted to give back and share the lessons he learned.

“Personally, it’s at the back of my head in the first Olympics to give back. As an Olympian, I think it is our job to represent Olympism and the value of the Olympics,” Lacuna said.