Hidilyn’s Chinese opponent Liao Qiuyun admits: ‘I didn’t expect her strength’

When Hidilyn Diaz lifted 127 kg in the clean and jerk of the women’s 55kg category in the weightlifting event at the 2020 Tokyo 2020 Games, she surprised a lot of people, including her main rival, China’s Liao Qiuyun, and her coach, Zhang Guozheng.

Liao, the world record holder in the both the clean and jerk and the total in the 55kg category, admitted that she did not realize how strong Diaz actually was.

Liao had actually lifted heavier before – she set a world record mark of 129 kg at the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. But in the build-up to the Olympics, she struggled with injuries and could only get to 123 kg at the most.

That’s why, during the head-to-head with Diaz in the Olympics, she was initially pleased when she was able to successfully lift 126 kg before the Filipina stepped up for her final lift.

“I feel good today. I can lift 123 kg at most due to injuries, and never thought of a successful 126 kg lift,” Liao had told Xinhua News after the competition.

Of course, we all know how that story ended, with Diaz lifting 127 kg successfully for the first time to win the Philippines’ first-ever gold medal in the 97 years since the country’s Olympic debut.

“I didn’t expect her strength like this,” Liao admitted.

Zhang, the Chinese coach who himself was a gold medalist in the 2004 Athens Games, also said the 126 kg lift was as good a result as can be expected of Liao, but Diaz simply exceeded their expectations.

“Liao has gone all out, so it’s not a huge pity for her to lose the gold medal. It’s just because we did not expect our opponent to be so strong.”

—JMB, GMA