Hidilyn starts transition to higher 59-kg division for Paris 2024 after getting confirmation ‘that I can still do it’ in last World

Even before the campaign in the World Championships in Colombia where she completed the collection of gold medals, not many elite athletes can talk about, Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo has made a master plan for her swan song – the Paris Olympics 2024.

The Philippines’ only Olympic gold medalist got a bonus when she saw the potential of the Paris competition up close and personal.

“I watched him in the world championships. I saw how he plays, his technique and how he prepares himself. We already know,” Diaz-Naranjo told the Inquirer.

“Saw” means Hidilyn is watching a different field, a field she will join in Paris when she moves up to the 59-kilogram class where Luo Xiaomin of China and Yenny Alvarez of Colombia will be waiting. His dream is to win gold for the second straight Games.

Hidilyn won Worlds gold in the snatch, clean and jerk and overall in the 55-kg class where she is most comfortable. And until August next year, Diaz-Naranjo will jump to a heavier division where his bid to win the World Championships will pale in comparison to the favorites in the 59-kg division in Paris. Building body mass to make weight can be less scary than losing excess weight, but the fourth Olympian said it is necessary to develop a muscular physique that can use more strength and power.

“I need to focus more during training to meet 59 kg. Rest is also important to prevent injuries. I will also work on my diet. I see muscle-building as an advantage with more protein intake compared to weight loss,” said Diaz-Naranjo.

“And of course, I expect the training to be more difficult, and it will come with regular psychology sessions. The mental part of weightlifting is also difficult,” he added.

Team HD, minus one

Sports psychologist Karen Trinidad is part of Team HD’s success at the Tokyo Olympics as well as nutritionist Jeanette Aro and her husband’s head coach Hidilyn Julius Naranjo, who will be assisted by Roel Garcia, a member of the national weightlifting team.

Absent is Gao Kaiwen, the great Chinese coach who helped Diaz-Naranjo win gold in Tokyo.

Diaz-Naranjo said her numbers are close to those of the women’s 59 kg champion at the world championships – gold medalists Xiaomin (103 kg, snatch) and Alvarez (133 kg in clean and jerk).

Podium finishers Kuo Hsing-chun of Chinese Taipei and Canada’s Maude Charron, the 64 kg Olympic champion, also remain their toughest opponents.

“I have to accept and train my mind that this is a different weight [division] and I have to double my efforts. It’s easy to build mass, but it’s hard to build muscle and develop strength at the same time,” Diaz-Naranjo said.

He now works daily in Jalajala, Rizal, where Team HD has rented a place that also serves as a training ground for at least 20 children and several members of the national squad.

Diaz-Naranjo will make another camp in Suwanee, Georgia in the United States in March, the same camp where he trained before the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Colombia.

She joins Charron and American Katherin Vibert (76-kg Tokyo silver medalist) and two-time Pan-American champion Jourdan dela Cruz in a star-studded training camp.

Spending time at the facility has been an introduction to Team HD. This experience led him to create a foundation based on the scientific method because he wanted to combine techniques and strategies with science.

“We saw how other athletes improved during training at the camp, so why not try? In fact, we’ve bought some equipment from the US to use here,” Diaz-Naranjo said.

“There are applications that are used to measure jumps, power and speed when lifting weights, etc. The results are accurate and from there, you can strategize and make adjustments,” he added. “This is the future of weightlifting.’ ‘

After learning about advanced technology and advanced training again at the US camp for two weeks, he will return home and prepare for the Asian championships in Korea in May, a qualifying event for Paris.

Diaz-Naranjo said he will either train in Japan for two weeks before the competition or go straight to Korea early and train with the best lifters there to acclimate.

Hunger remains

The Filipino weightlifting icon will have to go through five qualifying tournaments before the Paris Olympics, with two mandatory events – the 2023 IWF World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 2 to 17, 2023 and the 2024 IWF World Cup.

With the Bogota tournament in her pocket, Hidilyn will see action in three of the four required events this year, including the Saudi Arabia Worlds.

“I don’t think about just qualifying. My goal is to be the best lifter [qualifying] tournament,” Diaz-Naranjo said.

A typical day in Diaz-Naranjo’s life includes two to three hours of practice in the morning and three to four hours in the evening with regular physical therapy along with weekly sessions with Trinidad.

The hunger for another Olympic gold medal has become strong for Diaz-Naranjo, who, at one point, doubted that he could return to the scene of his conquests.

“There were doubts before. Can I still do it? Am I still strong enough to compete? At the world championships I realized that I still can,” said Diaz-Naranjo.

For him, being an athlete doesn’t end when you’ve reached the pinnacle of success.

“You don’t stop because you’ve reached your goal. It’s a question of whether you can still do it and if you love what you’re doing. It just doesn’t end with winning,” said Diaz-Naranjo. INQ

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