Hidilyn Diaz, the Philippines' first and only Olympic gold medalist, vowed on Thursday to continue weightlifting, just hours after failing to qualify for her fifth consecutive Olympics.
Diaz, 33, finished seventh in the IWF World Cup 59kg division in Thailand late Wednesday with a total of 228kg, losing to 25-year-old compatriot Eline Andoh, who qualified for Paris weightlifting from the Philippines.
Only one person from each country can qualify in any weight class, and Diaz, who won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the defunct 55kg weight class, failed in his final two clean and jerks to match Ando's total and lost 222kg. He finished in 11th place.
Diaz, who has lifted at every Olympics since the 2008 Beijing Games, will be 37 years old at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“I'm still going to lift, but I don't know about the next Olympics,” Diaz said via Facebook Messenger.
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“Right now I have to enjoy this moment.
“In the future, I will pursue what I started, training and serving athletes,” she said, revealing that she will soon open her own sports academy.
Diaz has struggled since stepping up to the heavier 59kg weight class, where he has naturally faced bigger fighters — Ando competed in the 64kg weight class in Tokyo.
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The final Olympic weightlifting qualifier was won by China's Luo Shifan with a new world record of 248 kg, a huge 24 kg more than Diaz's Olympic gold medal win three years ago. .
“Thank you so much to all my followers and supporters!” Diaz wrote.
“Our commitment to inspiring youth and Filipinos in the sports world will rise to the next level,” she added.
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“It's unfortunate that Diaz missed out on his record of reaching five consecutive Olympic Games,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino told AFP.
Diaz and Ando were both “not in their natural weight class,” he said, adding that injuries had hampered Diaz's training for the Phuket qualifier, but he did not elaborate.
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