4-5 GOLDS TARGET NG PH WEIGHTLIFTERS SA VIETNAM SEAG

Hidilyn Diaz

PANGUNGUNAHAN ni Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz ang 13-man Philippine weightlifting team na pupunturyahin ang apat hanggang limang gold medals sa 31st Southeast Asian Games sa Hanoi, Vietnam sa susunod na buwan.

Idedepensa ng 31-anyos na si Diaz ang kanyang gold sa women’s 55 kg class, at kinokonsidera siya ni Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) president Monico Puentevella bilang top bet ng Filipino weightlifters na target na mahigitan ang dalawang gold medals na kanilang napagwagian sa 2019 edition ng biennial na idinaos sa bansa.

Sinabi ni Puentevella sa virtual Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum nitong Martes na inaasinta ng federation ang minimum na 2 golds at maximum na 4 hanggang 5 gold medals.

“Fearless forecast… ang tingin ko minimum of two gold medals, and then laban kami sa four or five na golds. Baka maka-tsamba. Kung ibigay ng Panginoon ang mas malaki, why not. So minimum of two golds and maximum of four or five,” pahayag ng dating mayor at congressman ng Bacolod.

Si Diaz ay bahagi ng seven-women team na sasabak sa May 12-23 meet na kinabibilangan din nina Mary Flor Diaz (45 kg), Rosegie Ramos (49 kg), Margaret Colonia (59 kg), Elreen Ann Ando (64 kg), Vanessa Sarno (71 kg), at Kristel Macrohon (+71 kg).

Samantala, pangungunahan ni Olympian Nestor Colonia (67 kg), men’s team, kasama sina Fernando Agad Jr. (55 kg), Rowel Garcia (61 kg), Lemon Denmark Tarro (73 kg), John Paul Padullo (89 kg), at John Dexter Tabique (+89 kg).

Binanggit ni Puentevella sina Ando, Sarno, Macrohon, Ramos, at  Colonia na kabilang sa potential gold medalist kasama si Diaz.

Tulad ni Diaz, si Macrohon ay nanalo rin ng  gold sa 2019 SEA Games, habang nagwagi si Sarno ng gold sa Asian Championships sa Tashkent, Uzbekistan noong nakaraang taon.

“You never know. Sina Ramos at Colonia matapang din na mga bata, and with all the training they have at Rizal Memorial, I feel baka suwertihin because I know they also aspire to follow the footsteps of Hidilyn,” anang weightlifting chief sa public sports program na itinataguyod ng San Miguel Corporation (SMC), MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Unilever, Amelie Hotel Manila, at ng Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

Sa mga kalalakihan, hindi inaalis ni Puentevella ang tsansa nina Garcia, Tabique, at Colonia.

“Sa lalaki we can pull surprises because these boys also aspire and dream. And they’re doing well in training,” sabi ni Puentevella, at idinagdag na dati nang nagwagi ang bansa ng gold medals sa men’s weightlifting sa pamamagitan ni late Jaime Sebastian.