TOKYO—Hidilyn Diaz’s biggest scare didn’t come on the competition stage of the massive Tokyo International Forum on Monday night.
Diaz and her team got tremendously nervous even before they took a flight to Tokyo from Kuala Lumpur.
“Coach Julius [Naranjo] had to be tested thrice for the virus because his second test turned out positive,” Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella narrated. “But good thing, the second test was a false positive and the third a negative result.”
The Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee obliged athletes, coaches and delegates from most countries to undergo two RT-PCR Tests before they fly to Tokyo. Once in Tokyo, everyone gets saliva tested at the airport and periodically at the Olympic Village and accredited hotels as precautionary measure.
Malaysia is a different story as delegates from the country need to undergo three RT-PCR tests.
“Everyone was really nervous while waiting for the third test result and thank God it was negative,” Puentevella said.
Another scare awaits Team Diaz though, so said Puentevella.
“We cautioned coach Gao Kaiwen that he could no longer return to his native China for the simple reason that his ward Hidilyn beat a Chinese Olympic record holder,” Puentevella said. “But that’s of course a joke, and everyone had a good laugh, including Coach Gao.”