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Weightlifter Diaz, swimmer Walsh get going Monday |
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Source : Staff
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Monday, 11 August 2008 04:07 |
 The first of the Philippines’ seven aquatics bidders joins the fray at the awe-inspiring Water Cube Tuesday when balik-Olympian James Walsh competes in the heats of the men’s 200-meter butterfly looking to better the national record.
But it’s female lifter Hidilyn Diaz who will open the RP bid on the third day of the Beijing Olympics here as she gets her baptism of fire in the 58-kilogram class.
Diaz, the 17-year-old Zamboanga lass who made these Games as a wild card, sees action at 3:30 p.m. at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Aerospace gymnasium against a stellar field that includes Chinese world record-holder Chan Yanqing.
Walsh tries to improve on his performance at the Athens Olympics in a heat where he ranks second according to personal-best clockings to Serbia’s Vladan Markovic. The Filipino-American hits the water in lane 5 of the National Aquatics Center at 7:07 p.m.
Diaz and Walsh are the only Filipino athletes vying for either a medal or qualification Tuesday.
“It’s a tough field, but I think he’ll go below 2 minutes (in the 200m fly),” said national swimming association president Mark Joseph. “If he hits it below two minutes, he’ll bring the Southeast Asian record to a higher level.”
Walsh, the country’s third Olympic qualifier after Miguel Molina and Ryan Arabejo, sealed his slot last year at the USA Senior National Swimming Championships with an RP record clocking of 2:00.42.
The 21-year-old pre-medicine scholar at the University of Florida has shaved more than six seconds off his personal best since winding up 37th (2:06.76) among 42 ‘flyers at the Athens Olympics.
Walsh’s fastest time, though, is not even comparable to the Asian record of 1:54.91 currently held by a Chinese. The second most senior RP tanker after Molina, Walsh enters the competition with an RP record that is close to eight seconds off the six-year-old world record of 1:52.09 held by Frenchman Franck Esposito.
Diaz, the youngest and greenest member of Team Philippines, has personal bests of 105 kg in the clean and jerk and 85 kg in the snatch. They are a far cry from Chen’s world-best snatch of 111 kg and the world clean and jerk of 141 kg held by Chen’s compatriot Qiu Hongmei, who is not entered in the Olympics this time.
The only claim to fame of the shy Filipino lifter is a bronze medal in the 58 kg class at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
Diaz was resting in her room she shares with archery coach Jennifer Chan at the Athletes’ Village when visited by Filipino sportswriters Sunday. She said she’s ready for Monday’s competition.
“Nagpapahinga na lang ako, para nasa kundisyon bukas (I’m just resting, so I’ll feel good tomorrow),” said Diaz, who has the second lowest personal-best total (snatch and clean and jerk) of 186 kg in the 12-woman field after Solomon Islands’ Wendy Hale (183 kg).
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Last Updated ( Monday, 11 August 2008 04:21 )
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