DIAZ GETTING ANXIOUS
The crisis brought by the coronavirus pandemic is slowly taking a toll on Hidilyn Diaz.
Diaz, who was stranded in Kuala Lumpur since the virus outbreak in March, admitted that her anxiety is slowly building up as she continues to worry about the safety of her family and friends in Zamboanga City.
“I miss my family. I’m worried for them as well as for my friends,” said Diaz in an interview with Malaysian television network Astro Arena.
“Every night, I am monitoring the situation in the Philippines. I am sad because I couldn’t be there physically.”
The Philippine is already under a relaxed quarantine level, but it doesn’t mean that it had completely gotten rid of the deadly virus.
In fact, the number of infections continues to rise with 280,000 cases so far, prompting Diaz to stay in the Malaysian capital where she is training under the supervision of her Chinese mentor Kaiwen Gao and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo.
I am sad because I couldn’t be there physically.
Diaz used to work out inside her condominium unit and in the parking lot, but when the Malaysian government eased its quarantine level, she was able to revert to her original program and train at the Kuala Lumpur State Weightlifting Gym.
Diaz said it would be very hard to move back to the Philipines as it requires a lot of process that could further delay her preparation for various Olympic qualifying tournaments.
“If I will go back, I will be needing to undergo quarantine and tests. And when I travel to Zamboanga, I would be quarantined again for two weeks.”
“It’s really impossible for me to be there and it’s not wise to go home. But emotionally, I feel that I need to be there for my family.”
Diaz said with no chance to go home, she would instead shift her focus on switching her training to a higher level to formally clinch a slot in the Summer Games next year.
“I think it’s good that I am here. The best thing is that here in Malaysia, I also feel like I’m home,” she said.