Diaz falls short on Asiad medal bid

Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz fell short on her bid to get a podium finish as she placed fourth overall in the 59-kilogram women’s category of the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games on Monday, Oct. 2 at the XSC Gymnasium in China.

Hidilyn Diaz CONTRIBUTED PHOTO 

A gold medal winner during the 2018 Asian Games in the 53kg division, Diaz missed on her attempt to get a medal as she moved up to a higher division, finishing with 223 total points – 97kgs in snatch and 136kgs in clean and jerk – as she ranked fourth out of 11 participants.

Diaz had a chance to get at least a bronze but her third and final attempt

at 131kgs was a “no lift” as she failed to carry the equipment. Her first two attempts were both cleared, first at 121kgs and then at 126kgs.

In snatch, Diaz successfully lifted 94 and 97 kilograms on her first two tries but missed on the 100kgs on her third and last attempt.

North Korea’s Kim Ilgyong bagged the gold medal as she totaled 246kgs – setting a new world record in snatch at 111kgs and then set a new Asian Games record at 135kgs in clean and jerk – while China’s Luo Shifang got the silver as she finished with 240kgs and Taiwan’s Hsing Chun Kuo earned the bronze medal with 227kgs.

This edition of the Asian Games is part of Diaz’s bid to earn a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.