Paris Olympics 2024: Ando in, Diaz out

THE rising weightlifting ace, 25-year-old Elreen Ando has seized her chance for another Olympic appearance in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, in the women’s 59kg category. 

The 64kg division, where Ando competed in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and finished seventh, was removed, prompting her to move down to the 59kg category.

Meanwhile, the 55kg division, in which Hidilyn Diaz clinched the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medal, was also omitted, forcing her to move up to the 59kg division with Ando. 

Clearing 100kg in snatch and 128kg in clean and jerk for a total of 228kg, Ando clinched a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, this event means a temporary goodbye for her fellow Filipina athlete and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Diaz, who competed in the same weight category but fell short of meeting the required points. Diaz had 99kg in snatch but was unable to lift her second and third attempts in the clean and jerk to tally 222kg. 

With this, Ando beat Diaz for the Philippine berth in the women’s 59kg category. 

Elreen Ando also became the latest Filipino representative to qualify for the Paris Olympics after EJ Obiena, Carlos Yulo, Aleah Finnegan, Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas, and fellow weightlifters JohnCeniza and Rosegie Ramos.

With reports from Cybil F. Castillo