HAPPY BUT NOT IMPRESSED WITH HIDILYN DIAZ

courtesy of manila.coconuts.com

Hidilyn Diaz ended the 20-year medal drought of the Philippines in the Olympics with a silver medal in weightlifting in Rio. In winning silver, Diaz became the first female Filipino athlete to win an Olympic medal.

While I am happy for Diaz, I can't help but doubt her strength as a weightlifter and athlete. For one, Diaz decided to enter and compete in a lower weight category. In Beijing and London Olympics, she competed in the 58 kg. category where she failed to come close to a medal. In Rio, she competed in the 53 kg. category. In lowering her weight category, Diaz and her coaches appear to have chosen a weight category where her personal best can earn her a medal. Interestingly, the reigning Olympic champion for the 53 kg. category was nowhere near Rio as she failed her doping test. Zulfiya Chinsanlo tested positive for banned substances. It was one less strong opponent for Diaz in the 53 kg. category. The weight category too only had 7 competitors. And what is most telling is that Diaz would have placed merely 4th if she competed in the 58 kg. category in Rio with her silver medal lift in the 53 kg. category.

I am just a little disappointed that Diaz and her coaches appear to have chosen to outsmart the Olympic system than uphold the true essence of Olympism.