ON JULY 26, 2021, the Philippines got its first ever gold in the Olympics.
Hidilyn Diaz, 30, won the gold after winning the women’s 55-kilogram weightlifting category.
Diaz overtook Liao Qiuyun of China on her last lift in the clean and jerk to win with a total 224 kilograms.
Interviewed after the awarding ceremony, Diaz said her winning the gold meant that despite the odds, “kaya natin ito, mga Pinoy.”
She thanked all those who believed in her, and God for giving her strength and making her prepared for her Olympic quest.
“Grabe si God, grabe si God,” she said.
Diaz was a silver medalist in the 2016 Summer Olympics in the women’s 53-kg category. She produced the medal for the country after 20 years of waiting since Onyok Velasco won silver in boxing at the Atlanta Olympics.
For bringing honor of being the first Filipino gold medalist in the Olympics, a cash reward of P10 million from the Philippine Government awaits Diaz. Business tycoons Manuel V. Pangilinan and Ramon S. Ang have each pledged to match the cash reward.
Diaz stands to get a total of P30 million as cash reward for her historic Olympic performance.
The cash incentive is instituted in Republic Act No. 10699 signed by the late President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2015. Cash incentives of P5 million and P2 million will be given to the silver and bronze winners.
At 17, Diaz was the youngest competitor in the women’s 58kg in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
She was a silver medalist in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games (Seag).
Diaz is an airwoman in the Philippine Air Force (PAF). She was drafted in 2013.
She is from Zamboanga City.
In 2019, Diaz together with broadcast journalist Gretchen Ho were named by presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo as among those who were conspiring to discredit President Rodrigo Duterte and his family by linking them to the drug trade. Diaz and Ho had laughed off Panelo’s accusation.
At the Tokyo Olympics, China had won all three events so far and was hoping to sweep the gold medals in the eight competitions its athletes have entered. Liao came into the competition as the world record holder with a total 227kg.
Zulfiya Chinshanlo of Kazakhstan took bronze with 213kg. Chinshanlo won what was then the 53-kilogram class at the 2012 London Olympics but was stripped of her gold medal after a positive test for two banned steroids. (MPS with AP report)