WEIGHTLIFTING Hidilyn off to China for training
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Las Vegas police have asked soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo to submit a DNA sample as part of their investigation into rape allegations made against him.
The Juventus forward has vehemently denied the accusations – with his lawyer, Peter Christiansen, telling AFP the request was standard procedure.
‘’Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in Las Vegas in 2009 was consensual in nature, so it is not surprising that DNA would be present, nor that the police would make this very standard request as part of their investigation,’’ he said in a statement.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said it had made an official request to Italian authorities, adding it is ‘’taking the same steps in this case as in any other sexual assault to facilitate the collection of DNA evidence.’’
Former model Kathryn Mayorga, 34, of Las Vegas, accused Ronaldo in a complaint filed last year in the state of Nevada.
She claims after meeting him at a Las Vegas nightclub, he raped her at his hotel suite on
June 13, 2009 – just before he joined
Real Madrid from Manchester United.
Rio Olympics silver medalist and Asian Games gold medal winner Hidilyn Diaz and the national weightlifting team will train for two months in China starting February in preparation for the second Tokyo Olympics qualifying tournament in Ningbo, China.
Diaz said the period will cover Feb. 10 to April 10.
“That’s the plan, a training in China with the national team,” said Diaz in Filipino. “We really need to focus, that’s the hardest thing actually. If we train there, I’m confident we’ll be able to accomplish that because in China there’s really no time for social media.”
The official lineup is still being finalized, Diaz added.
The China experience, she said, is crucial in preparation for the Olympic qualifier for Asian countries. Diaz has already participated in the first event last November during the World Championships in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The goal, Diaz said, is to make it to the top three after she finished at 10th spot during the first qualifier. She actually landed at 11th but moved up to No. 10 as the athlete who placed 10th was disqualified due to doping.
“Every six months there is a ranking, and I think it’s doable for me to finish in the top eight. This is a process that I should go through and this build strength and also patience on my part during training,” Diaz said.
“I want to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, so this is part of my plan – from my training to the competitions that I’ll be joining. I take the initiative to do, have a plan and program.”