Boxers Nesthy Petecio (left) and Carlo Paalam received silver medals within the final Olympics however at the moment are hard-pressed to make the grade for the subsequent one in Paris like Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo (picture
beneath), the Tokyo gold medalist making an attempt to make it to the French capital by way of the lengthy route. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS0
For the nation’s premier athletes, the journey to the gates of the 2024 Paris Olympics is already strewn with obstacles, that even the most effective of them haven’t been spared, like Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, the 55-kilogram weightlifting queen in Tokyo who remains to be scrambling for a spot within the glitzy trend capital along with 2020 boxing silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio.
For Diaz-Naranjo, the will to get right into a fifth straight Video games has been so huge that she was keen to go as much as the 59-kg class after her previous area was scrubbed off from subsequent 12 months’s Olympic program.
Additionally the silver medalist within the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Video games at 55 kg, Diaz-Naranjo is progressing in a way that positioned her to a different look within the quadrennial world meet, inserting seventh within the 59 kg of the 2023 Worldwide Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships late this 12 months in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to be nicely inside vary of an Olympic slot with two extra tournaments remaining.
The highest 10 lifters in every weight class will advance to the Olympics after finishing a collection of 5 meets sanctioned by the IWF, and Diaz-Naranjo is intent on sealing it within the Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Feb. 3 to Feb. 10 and the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, on April 2 to April 11.
“The largest problem I’m dealing with is growing my muscle mass to deal with the stronger opponents in our weight class. To this point, I like my progress, and I now see {that a} medal in Paris is feasible,’’ stated Diaz-Naranjo.
Guided by her husband-coach Julius with the backing of Crew HD, Diaz-Naranjo prefers to coach silently, constructing her personal gymnasium in Jala-Jala, Rizal, and organising coaching camps in the US and Bahrain final 12 months for a continuing change of surroundings.
“I nonetheless must qualify and it’s laborious to maintain the coaching that I do six days in every week. If you wish to be a champion, you want folks behind you. With the assistance of God and Crew HD, I do know I can nonetheless do it,’’ stated Diaz-Naranjo.
There’s an ample quantity of roadblocks to the rostrum standing on her manner with world champion Luo Shifang of China, Ukraine’s Kamila Konotop and Chinese language Taipei’s Kuo Hsing-chun, amongst them.
“A lot of sacrifices. Weight loss plan, weight achieve, accidents and time away from the household. I simply need to carry on pushing myself to the restrict,’’ stated Diaz-Naranjo.
Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, Tokyo Video games gold medalist
Botched likelihood
Petecio, in the meantime, wanted only a semifinal look within the Asian Video games (Asiad) in Hangzhou, China, final 12 months to pack her gear for Paris. However that direct journey was foiled within the spherical of 16 of the ladies’s 57 kg by Chinese language Taipei’s Lin Yu Ting, who exacted revenge on the Filipino girl pug, who booted her out of the medal spherical of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
With the chance slipping from her grasp, Petecio shall be dealing with rougher roads forward with solely two extra Olympic qualification meets left.The 31-year-old from Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur, confirmed no pretense in admitting that this can definitely be her final shot on the Olympics. Petecio has to make it both within the World Qualification Event 1 in Busto Arsizio, Italy, on Feb. 29 to March 12 or the World Qualification Event 2 on Could 23 to June 5 in Bangkok, Thailand.
“The need to compete in Paris has been stronger than ever. I take into account this as my final shot earlier than ending my profession,’’ stated Petecio in Filipino.
Fortunately for Petecio, six Olympic spots are nonetheless open in each meets. She has to progress to the finals of the Busto Arsizio qualifier whereas a semifinal displaying in Bangkok shall be sufficient for her to get to Paris.
“It might have been simpler within the Asian Video games, however I missed that likelihood. I anticipate the world qualifiers to be a lot harder than the continental qualifier,’’ stated Petecio.
Though Petecio’s tormentor in Tokyo—Sena Irie of Japan—has already retired, the ladies’s featherweight division stays crowded with title contenders in Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva, Tunisia’s Khouloud Hlimi, Colombia’s Valeria Arboleda, Kazakhstan’s Karina Ibragimova, Lin and Tina Rahimi of Australia, amongst others.“Primarily based on my efficiency within the Asian Video games, there are issues that I want to enhance on and I’m engaged on it. I received’t cease till I get that gold in Paris,’’ stated Petecio.
However she has to get there first.
Paalam, then again, is actually ranged towards taller odds.
To slip again or not
From his present class at 57 kg, Paalam is contemplating sliding again to his previous preventing weight—the 51 kg the place he achieved fame and fortune by claiming a silver medal in Tokyo.
And with the clock quick ticking, the 25-year-old pleasure of Talakag, Bukidnon, ought to instantly make the sensible selection earlier than the World Qualification Tournaments for Paris arrive early subsequent 12 months.
“You simply noticed my opponents within the Asian Video games. They’re all taller than me. However I’ve no regrets, I did my greatest in each combat,’’ stated Paalam in Filipino after world champion Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan ushered him out of the medal spherical within the 57 kg of the Asiad.
He was vertically challenged by Jordan’s Jajeh Abu within the round-of-32 and was once more faster towards Uulu Seiitbek of Kyrgyzstan within the round-of-16, however Paalam’s velocity and excessive aptitude within the ring didn’t work nicely towards Khalokov.
They’ll be the identical bunch of sluggers he’ll meet on the planet Olympic qualifying meets.
Add to the listing Olympic qualifiers Lyu Ping of China, Japan’s Shudai Harada, Salim Hossain of Bangladesh and Thailand’s Rujakran Juntrong, amongst others, all of them gifted with longer limbs.
Paalam was the bantamweight champion through the 2022 Asian championships in Amman, Jordan, and received two golds within the Southeast Asian Video games this 12 months in Cambodia in the identical division and in 2019 Manila as a flyweight.He appeared happy with the adjustment he made thus far at featherweight, a division utterly alien to Paalam.
“I adjusted nicely (at 57 kg). I might need misplaced within the Asian Video games, however I additionally received towards rated boxers on this division and it solely sharpened my expertise and intelligence within the ring,’’ stated Paalam.
“They received’t take me with no consideration, now they know what I’m able to,’’ added Paalam.
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Nonetheless, the clock is ticking for these Filipino Olympics aces, and they’ll have a complete nation rooting for them after they spend the primary a part of 2024 making an attempt to get to Paris.