Hidilyn settles for bronze in Pattaya

Hidilyn Diaz (4th from left) and the rest of the Philippine delegation in Pattaya.

Hidilyn Diaz bagged bronze on Friday at the 2019 International Weightlifting Championships held in Pattaya, Thailand.

The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics silver medalist lifted a total of 214 kilograms (93 kg in Snatch andd 121 kg in Clean and Jerk) in the women’s 55kg category.

China’s Qiuyun Liao (227kg) and Wanqiong Zhang (222kg) placed 1-2.

“It is a privilege given by God to represent my beloved country, Philippines in a prestigious competition at the IWF World Championship 2019,” Diaz wrote on Facebook.

Diaz is eyeing a berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

There were eight weight categories for men and seven for women at the 2016 Rio Games. On 1 November 2018, the IWF introduced 10 new weight categories for men and women. In Tokyo 2020, each gender will compete in seven of those 10 bodyweight categories.

Throughout Olympic history, China and the former Soviet Union countries have been most successful in weightlifting.

The Chinese won four consecutive gold medals in the men’s 69 kg category from Athens 2004 through Rio while the women have won 14 of 35 gold medals since Sydney 2000.