Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo is set to compete in the Asian Weightlifting Championships instead of the SEA Games ©Getty Images

Olympic weightlifting champion Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo of the Philippines is set to skip the South East Asian (SEA) Games to compete at the Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Diaz-Naranjo claimed women’s under-55 kilogram gold at Tokyo 2020 but her weight category has been scrapped for Paris 2024.

It means that the Filipino star will have to contest the women’s under-59kg division in a bid to secure successive Olympic titles.

The SEA Games are due to be held from May 5 to 17 in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, clashing with the Asian Weightlifting Championships, which are scheduled to run from May 3 to 13 in Jinju-si in South Korea.

Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas President Monico Puentevella said he had asked Jinju 2023 organisers to reschedule the competition only for his request to be rejected, forcing Diaz-Naranjo to change her plans.

Diaz-Naranjo is due to contest the under-59kg weight division after the under-55kg category was scrapped for Paris 2024 ©Getty Images
Diaz-Naranjo is due to contest the under-59kg weight division after the under-55kg category was scrapped for Paris 2024 ©Getty Images

"[Hidilyn] will skip the SEA Games because she wants to focus on 59kg," said Puentevella in a report by the Inquirer.

"Since [Elreen] Ando has been competing in the same weight, they will both show up in the Asian Championships."

Diaz-Naranjo is expected to compete in five Olympic qualifying tournaments before Paris 2024, including the World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in September.

"I’m not thinking of just qualifying," said Diaz-Naranjo.

"My goal is to become the best lifter in these tournaments."