Diaz settles for a silver in China International weightlifting bash

It was a promising start for Philippine weightlifting. That’s because Beijing Olympian Hidilyn Diaz provided the country something to cheer about, securing a silver in the China International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix held over the weekend at the Fuchan Province in China. The 19-year-old Diaz lifted 85 kgs. in the snatch and 110 kgs. in the clean and jerk for a total of 195 kg. Her performance was good for second behind home bet Deng Wei in the women’s 58-kg. division Diaz’s lift was below her 209 kg. total during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China where she finished sixth in the event, although her effort was enough for her to pocket $3,000 in this invitational event. Deng, the top weightlifter last year after lifting 242 kgs. to set a world junior record in the the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, lifted 90 kgs. in the snatch and 120 kgs. in the clean and jerk for a total lift of 210 kgs. She took home $5,000. Hosni of Tunisia finished third with a lift of 76 kgs. in the snatch and 97 kgs. in the lean and jerk for a total of 173 kgs. Diaz is setting her sights on a possible entry into the Olympic scene. She will compete in the Olympic qualifying event in Paris late this year. Also on the calendar for Diaz and the PHL weightlifters are the Asian Championships in Tongling, China in May, the 2nd Youth World Championships in Lima, Peru, the Asian Junior and Youth Championships in Pattaya, Thailand in September, and the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV