Hidilyn Diaz had given the Philippines its first Olympic gold medal. She might have spared the country from losing another potential Games champion. Vanessa Sarno, who Diaz had handpicked as her possible heir apparent, admitted she had nearly lost her passion for weightlifting until she had a chat with the Tokyo Games star recently. “She is … a great motivator,” Sarno, 18, said of Diaz during an interview with the Inquirer. “Before [the] tryouts [for the team to the Southeast Asian Games (SEA)], I suddenly lost motivation. But I got a chance to talk to her. Her words really encouraged me to co…