Diaz nervous over SEAG return

Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidily Diaz is eyeing a return to the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after missing the previous edition in Cambodia in 2023.

Diaz said she is quite nervous as needs to make some key adjustments in her preparation for the prestigious biennial meet.

The last time the 34-year-old weightlifter competed in the SEA Games was in 2022 in Hanoi, where she won the gold medal in the women’s 55-kilogram category.

Diaz admitted that returning to the SEA Games will not be easy as she needs to go down to a lighter weight class.

“I’m a bit scared. It’s new, I have to drop my weight and I have to focus. My recent international competition was last year,” Diaz said.

“I have four months to prepare. Although I’m training right now, I’m still preparing for the SEA Games.”

Aside from the Hanoi Games, Diaz also competed at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, where she finished in 11th place in the women’s 59kg category.

After that, she and her coach-husband Julius Naranjo focused on manning their athletes in the HD Weightlifting Academy in Rizal for tournaments like the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy.

Diaz will be aiming for her third SEA Games gold medal after winning in 2019 in Manila and Hanoi and she still wants to make an impact despite the short prepararion.

“I’m a bit nervous. But it makes me happy to train for something big,” Diaz said.