Olympic Weightlifting: Disaster strikes for flag-bearer Hidilyn Diaz

Reuters

After a promising start, Filipino flag-bearer Hidilyn Diaz had a meltdown to end her campaign in the women’s 58kg weightlifting competition.

Diaz tallied a score of 97-kg in the snatch. She lifted 92-kg in her first attempt, muffed 97-kg in her second, before lifting the same weight in her third try.

That score allowed her to book second place in Group B after the snatch.

But disaster struck the 5-foot-2 Zamboanga City native, who failed in three attempts to lift 118-kg weights in the clean-and-jerk. A distraught Diaz was in near tears after muffing her third try, which left her at the bottom of the group.

It was a disappointment to say the least for Diaz, who posted new Philippine records of 96-kg in the snatch and 123-kg in the clean-and-jerk for a total of 219-kg last May in the National Games.

Diaz was looking to improve on her performance from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she finished 11th in a field of 12 lifters.

Follow @interaksyon