Philippines, 13 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Diaz-Naranjo seeks PH’s first gold medal in world weightlifting tilt in 52 years


PhilBoxing.com



Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo.

Don’t look now, but did you know that when the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo plunges into action in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships starting Monday (Tuesday in Manila), she will be seeking an end to the Philippines’ 52-year gold medal drought in the event?

And that she will, too, be trying to improve on the three bronze medals she romped off during the 2015 edition of the worlds in Houston, Texas that earned for her a slot in the 2021 Games of the Olympics where she gifted the country its first gold medal after waiting in vain for 97 years to realize?

Well, Diaz-Naranjo, as well as her eight teammates that make Team Philippines in this year’s worlds in Bogota, will be seeking to duplicate where another pint-sized Salvador del Rosario succeeded in the XXIVth staging of the Championship held in Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio on September 12, 1970.


First Filipino world weightlifting champ Salvador del Rosario. From EDDIE ALINEA'S files.

Del Rosario, in that edition of the world tourney, stashed away with top honors in the clean and jerk discipline in the flyweight division.

The young barely 20-year-old nephew of Rodrigo del Rosario, who in the 1952 Olympic Games n Helsinki, equaled the Games’ standard in the press in ending up fourth in his sport.

The younger Del Rosario, son of Rodrigo’s brother Valentin, likewise, exceeded the existing Asian record by 5 kilograms in that gold medal performance no other Filipino strongman was able to match in the succeeding staging of the worlds in the years that followed.

And it looks like the only second Filipino athlete to have brought home multiple Olympic medals in the quadrennial conclave outside of swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, has got what it takes to match, if not succeed in outshining Salvador del Rosario’s heroics in Columbus.

This after reports were that she now is the top seed in the women’s 55-kilogram discipline after the name of her co-favorite Zuilfiya Chinshanlo of Kazakhstan was nowhere to be found in the list of starters in the event.

And with the now-retired Chinese Liao Quiyun, who finished second to Diaz–Naranjo in the Tokyo Games, also absent, there’s no more reasons why The Filipina could miss the gold medal this time.

This year’s worlds is set December 5-16.

Other members of Team Philippines who left last Friday for Bogota are Rio de Janeiro Olympian Nestor Colonia (55 kgs), John Febuar Ceniza (61 kgs) and Dave Lloyd Pacaldo (67 kgs), who are entered in the men’s competitions.

Also in the team are Asian champion Vanessa Sarno and Kristel Macrohon in the 71 kgs class, Rosegie Ramos and Lovely Inan in the 49 kgs category and Elreen Ann Ando in the 59 kgs event of the women’ side.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BELFAST: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Canoy cancels title fight due to child’s death
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Vietnam’s Pool Revolution: Hanoi Open Pool Championship
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • SUNDAY: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Undisputed Super Bantamweight Showdown to Stream Exclusively on Top Rank’s Facebook Channel in the U.S. & UK
    , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • National Shelter Month Run on October 25 in DGT
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • Canelo-Crawford: Betting Odds Reveal a Battle of Money vs. Public Opinion
    By Dong Secuya, , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • BELFAST PRESS CONFERENCE: EVERYTHING LEWIS CROCKER AND PADDY DONOVAN SAID AHEAD OF HISTORIC WORLD TITLE SHOWDOWN
    , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • GABRIELA “SWEET POISON” FUNDORA TO DEFEND UNDISPUTED CROWN AGAINST HIGHLY RANKED NEW FOE ALEXAS “IRON LADY” KUBICKI
    , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • Chino Sy Tancontian is Sports Hero of the Year 2025
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • Two (or Three) Lefts Make a Right: Francisco Guilledo to Luisito Espinosa
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to 2025 World Boxing Championships Semifinals
    , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • UNIFIED WORLD CHAMPION OSCAR COLLAZO HOSTS MEDIA WORKOUT
    , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • Jerwin Ancajas Set for IBF Mandatory Eliminator Against Former World Champ Ryosuke Nishida; Winner Fights Naoya Inoue
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • “Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
    , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • Local Favorite Bryce Mills Tops First Boxing Card At del Lago Resort & Casino
    , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: It´s Fightweek Fight: Canelo vs. Crawford
    By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Casimero comeback next month in Kyrgyzstan?
    By Nick Giongco, , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Team USA Concludes Day Six of 2025 World Boxing Championships
    , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Andrade, Garras rule Milo marathon in Tagum
    , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • CROCKER-DONOVAN II: INSIDE LOOK AT FIRST FACE-OFF IN BELFAST
    , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Former Panamanian WBA champ Jorge Lujan hospitalized
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Southern Sports Heroes Night on Sept. 28
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 10 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.