ZAMBOANGA City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar on Friday, May 20, 2022, congratulated Tokyo Olympic weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz for winning a gold medal at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Diaz, a native of Zamboanga City, bagged the gold medal Friday in the women’s 55-kilogram (kg) category as she bested her opponents from Thailand and Indonesia, who landed second and third place, respectively.
Diaz bagged the gold medal with a 92-kg lift in snatch and 115-kg lift in clean and jerk.
“Enhorabuena Hidilyn! Zamboanga City is proud as always!” Salazar said on her Facebook account.
Meanwhile, cash incentives await the Zamboangueño medalists in the 31st SEA Games.
Aside from Diaz, six other Zamboangueño athletes harvested medals in the ongoing SEA Games.
Councilor Elbert Atilano Sr. said Friday, May 20, that the cash incentives the medalists will received are as follows: gold medal, P250,000; silver, P200,000; and, bronze, P150,000.
Atilano is the author of City Ordinance 565, which was approved on July 22, 2021, that grants cash incentives to Zamboangueño athletes who will win medal in national and international competitions.
Each coach will also receive a 50-percent cash incentive as a counterpart to the winning athletes’ prize.
The other Zamboangueño athletes who are part of the Philippine contingent seeing action in the 31st SEA Games are Jhonny Morte, silver medalist (65-kg category men freestyle wrestling); Jefferson Rhey Loon (Pencak Silat male event-bronze); Kristine Paraon (Rowing team event-bronze), Clemente Tabugara Jr. (Men's Sanda 70-kg Wushu-bronze) Margarito Angana Jr. (Men's Greco Roman 60-kg class of Wrestling-bronze); and Rosegie Ramos (49-kg women category weightlifting-bronze). (SunStar Zamboanga)