Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Diaz falters; Molina takes the plunge
MANILA - Hidilyn Diaz improved on her personal best but still finished second to last in the 58-kilo division in weightlifting in the Beijing Olympics.
Diaz, who at 17 is the youngest participant in the division, had snatched 85 kilos in the second round and had 107 in the clean and jerk to finish with 192.
Diaz previous best was 186.
China’s Chen Yanging took the gold with 244, while Marina Shainova (227) and O Jang Ae (226) took silver and bronze, respectively.
Meanwhile, it will be Miguel Molina’s turn to see action today in the third day of the swimming competition of the 29th Olympic Games at the state-of-the-art National Aquatic Center in Beijing, China.
The 24-year-old Molina will compete in the second of seven heats of the men’s 200m breastroke, but his personal best of 2 minutes and 16.62 seconds doesn’t stand a chance against the world’s best that include reigning Olympic champion and record holder Kosuke Kitajima of Japan.
Molina, the country’s top swimmer, is up against Taipei’s Wang Wei-wen, Iceland’s Jakob Sveinson, Portugal’s Carlos Almedia, South Korea’s Sujong Sin, Estonia’s Martti Aljand, Romania’s Valentin Preda and Luxemborg’s Luarent Carnol.
P15 million
All in the second heat are bearing personal best of 2:15 and above, just a few distance from Molina, the 24th Southeast Asian Games’ best athlete.
“It’s a good heat. There are swimmers faster than him in the heat, but I’m confident he’ll improve his time. And it will be a new Philippine record,” said Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (Pasa) president Mark Joseph.
Meanwhile, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo offered a cool P15 million to any Filipino athlete who can win a gold medal in the demonstration sports of wushu in the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Philippine Olympic Committee treasurer Julian Camacho, who is also the president of the Philippine Wushu Association yesterday said that Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo told him of the good news when she visited the Filipino athletes and officials at the Athletes Village. (FCC)
