By Nick Giongco
Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz and world boxing champion Jerwin Ancajas have a lot of things in common.
Dietitian Jeaneth Aro poses with Jerwin Ancajas, left photo, in Puebla, Mexico and Hidilyn Diaz, right photo, in Rome.
Aside from Mindanao-born athletes, Diaz (Zamboanga City), recently-crowned World Cup champion, and Ancajas (Davao del Norte), share a common denominator in their choice of nutritionist: top dietitian Jeaneth Aro.
And here’s a couple of more things.
Diaz and Ancajas, the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight titlist, are seeing action in April.
They are also enlisted in the military. Diaz with the Air Force; Ancajas with the Navy.
Boxing champ Jerwin Ancajas and top lifter Hidilyn Diaz clown around the first time they met three years ago. The two rely on dietitian Jeaneth Aro’s assistance. (Nick Giongco)
Diaz is competing in the Asian championships in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana) on April 18.
Ancajas, making the ninth defense of the IBF 115-lb throne, enters the ring a full week earlier on April 11 in San Diego, California.
Fortunately for Aro, the seven-day gap in-between the events in April allows her to attend to their respective needs.
A member of Diaz’s core team, Aro expects to fly to Kazakhstan to be with the lifter at least five days before her 55 kg event.
As for her obligations with Ancajas, one of just four Filipino world boxing champions, Aro has to be with him the same amount of days she has to be with Diaz.
Ancajas is currently deep in training in Dipolog City after deciding to abandon his camp in Magallanes, Cavite, because of the Taal Volcano eruption.
Apart from her two elite clients, Aro’s fingerprints can also be found in the national men and women’s boxing squads, rowing and taekwondo, whose athletes are revving up for slots to the Tokyo Olympics.
With Aro around, one would expect that every Filipino athlete will always hunger for more.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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