China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Chinese coach helping Filipino star make sweet sacrifice for Olympics
Triumphant weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz has her sights set firmly on Olympic gold, inspired by her new Chinese coach, but first she might just indulge in a guilty passion — cheesecake and bubble tea.
“The sacrifices you make are so hard when you’re training every day,” Diaz said after winning the Philippines’ first gold medal at the Asian Games on Tuesday.
“I can’t eat sugar and sweets. I miss eating cheesecake and drinking bubble tea with friends. It’s hard,” said the 27-year-old from the island of Mindanao.
Diaz was already assured a place in her country’s sporting folklore, alongside the likes of Manny Pacquiao, as the only woman from the sprawling archipelago ever to win an Olympic medal.
But now, with top Chinese coach Gao Kaiwen “making a difference” in her corner, she believes she can turn Rio 2016 silver into Tokyo 2020 gold after winning the women’s 53kg event at the Asiad.
“My coach has been with me for two months,” she said of Gao, who is also head coach of the Chinese national women’s army team.
“I am so grateful for him. He has made a difference in my lifts. He’s a positive person and I like to have him around me,” she said after being presented with her medal.
Gao has coached multiple Chinese Olympic medalists including Zhou Lulu, who won gold in the 75kg+ division at the 2012 London Games.
His experience has been invaluable to Diaz, a member of the Philippines Air Force, who has blossomed late in her weightlifting career. She did not even qualify for the last Asian Games in South Korea four years ago before her breakthrough in Rio.
“He changed my technique and more than that made me understand why I need to make the change if I want to win at Tokyo 2020.”
Gao introduced new routines and heavier weights in training and the results are clear. Diaz lifted personal bests of 92kg in the snatch and 115kg in the clean and jerk in Jakarta to total 7kg greater than her Olympic silver effort two years ago.
“That change in technique has given me even more confidence,” she said, believing she can push those bests even higher in Tokyo.
“I’m really confident of lifting more because I was able to lift 115kg in training,” she said.
“I just need to know my technique and visualize it. This result proves the Olympic gold medal is possible.”
First she needs to qualify for Tokyo, a cycle that starts at November’s world championships in Turkmenistan.
Meanwhile the busy Diaz will attempt to juggle training with her military career, college studies and managing the weightlifting gym she opened last year in her hometown of Zamboanga in Mindanao.
“I don’t know if I will win (the world title) because I will go back to school,” she said. “But I will do my best.”
Diaz’s victory could reportedly be worth as much as six million pisos ($112,000) in bonuses awarded to Philippines gold medalists from the government, National Olympic Committee and other organizations.
She said she would invest the money in her gym to give back to weightlifting in the Philippines and leave a legacy after she retires.
Tokyo 2020 will be her last event.
“My main goal is to help out kids in my hometown realize their dreams in weightlifting,” she said.
“This sport could change their lives and hopefully they could become just like me in the future.”