Metro Manila, Philippines – Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz fell short of a podium finish in the women’s 58kg competition at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games on Sunday, Dec. 14.
During the snatch, Diaz had good lifts on 88kg and 90kg but failed the 92kg. With the clean and jerk, she only lifted 110kg and was unsuccessful in her attempts at 115kg and 116kg.
Her total score was 200kg, trailing behind the 215kg of Vietnam’s Thi Tam Quang for the bronze medal.
“I did not win any medal for the Philippines this SEA Games. This is my best for now,” she said.
Thailand’s Suratwadee Yodsarn won the gold with 224kg while Indonesia’s Natasya Beteyob settled for silver with 218kg.
Diaz, the first Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal, said she continued to struggle with her right knee injury.
She said this was the same issue that affected her performance during the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifying.
“After not qualifying in Paris, medyo nawalan ako ng motivation [I lost motivation],” she told reporters. “This is my first international competition after 2024.”
Diaz failed to clinch her third gold medal at the SEA Games. This was her return to the biennial event after skipping the 2023 edition.
While she had an unfavorable outcome, Diaz, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, said she showed a “not giving up story” with her performance.
Will she be retiring? “Depende sa takbo ng mga plano…Nando’n tayo malapit sa retirement, pero siyempre kailangan tingnan,” she said.
[Translation: It will depend on the plans. We may be nearing retirement but we still need to see.]
For now, Diaz hinted at possible preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where she plans to enter the 61kg division.
