Hidilyn Diaz may not have made the podium in the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships, but her campaign in Jinju, South Korea should still be considered a success.

This, according to her husband and coach, Julius Naranjo, in the wake of the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist's fourth-place finish on Sunday.

Diaz's total lift of 221-kg was behind the gold medal-winning effort of China's Luo Shifang (238-kg), silver medalist Pei Xinyi of China (236-kg), and world record holder Kuo Hsing-Chun of Chinese-Taipei (230-kg).

• Hidilyn Diaz finishes 4th in Asian Weightlifting Championships

The competition in South Korea had been Diaz's maiden foray in the 59kg weight class, the category that she is trying to qualify for in the Paris Olympics next year.

Diaz made history when she won gold in the 55kg category in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but that weight division has been scrapped for the Paris Games.

"Winning isn't always medaling, winning is giving our all and making the climb to the top," Naranjo said in an Instagram post after Sunday night's event.

"This was a successful campaign because we’ve overcome a lot to get here. Injuries, setbacks, and naysayers. But TeamHD set our goals to set a better total than we did at Bogota," he added, referring to the 2022 IWF World Championships.

"We set our goal to represent our country to the best of our ability and we are happy with our results."

Diaz won gold in Bogota last year, with a total lift of 207-kg.

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A post shared by Julius Irvin 光る Naranjo 🇬🇺🇵🇭🇯🇵 (@imjulius)

Diaz, in her own social media post, vowed to continue working towards their goal even as she is experiencing some self-doubt.

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A post shared by Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo OLY (@hidilyndiaz)

"Many have asked me why I’m still pursuing #Paris2024, and to be honest, I’ve asked myself the same thing. Can I still do it? Do I really want to?" said Diaz, also a silver medalist in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"I’ve been living with doubts and fears, not to mention dealing with injuries and pain for the past seven months," she revealed. "It has made me question if #Paris2024 is still meant for me."

"But … despite all the challenges, the dream of competing and winning another Gold medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics is not only #TeamHD’s dream, it’s OUR dream, for our country."

• Hidilyn Diaz target ang 59-kg division sa 2024 Paris Olympics
• Hidilyn Diaz remains determined to compete in fifth Olympics

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