With 127 kilograms of metal weight to win the Olympic gold medal, Hidilyn Diaz stepped up to the plate. For a brief moment, it was more than just 127 kilograms, it was the entire country on her shoulders.
97 years of waiting for a hero ended on one lift on Monday night. The same lift that carried 110 million Filipinos across 7,100 islands.
July 26 should be declared Hidilyn Diaz Day by lawmakers. It’s a travesty if they won’t.
Now the country can proudly say it has an Olympic gold medal in its treasure chest. The Philippines is the fifth most mineralised country in the world, with the third largest deposits of gold. But this gold will stand in history as the most precious of all.
Diaz now stands to be elevated to the pantheon of Philippine sports heroes as one of the greatest ever, and is set to receive a windfall of no less than P33 million from both the government and the private sector for the unprecedented feat.
That bonanza, according to Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Bambol Toentino, is expected to reach the P50 million mark once all the pledges and other donations are accounted for.
That windfall could easily change the life of the 30-year old pride of Zamboanga City overnight.
But looking back at her journey, the road to Tokyo wasn’t easy.
In June 2019, Diaz had to ask for financial support on social media.
“Is it okay to ask sponsorship sa mga private companies towards Tokyo 2020? Hirap na hirap na ako. I need financial support. Sa tingin niyo okay lang kaya? Nahihiya kasi ako pero try ko kapalan muha ko para sa minimithi kong pangarap para sa ating bansa na maiuwi ang Gold Medal sa Olympics,” she posted on her Instagram stories.
And then there’s the pandemic.
Under a pandemic lockdown and with the lack of access to available equipment, she had to improvise in order to continue her training.
With ingenuity and determination, Diaz had to use broomsticks, resistance bands, and gym bags as makeshift weights to replace the non-existent barbells.
Weightlifting news page BarBend Strength Sports News was able to document the moment uploaded a video on Instagram dated December 4, 2020.
“Sometimes, when you can’t make it to the gym, you’ve gotta make do with what you have,” the publication said. “Rio Olympic Silver Medalist finding a way to keep the legs strong during lockdown.”
Diaz’s breakthrough gold medal win sent ripples on social media as everyone in the Philippines turned into instant Hidilyn worshipers. Some event went off tangent and touched on political undertones.
The Palace and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go went on Facebook to send his greetings to the country’s first Olympic gold medalist.
“The Palace congratulates Hidilyn Diaz for bringing pride and glory to the Philippines for winning the country’s first-ever Olympic Gold medal (weightlifting women’s 55kg),” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on his Facebook page.
The Olympic gold medal came just hours after President Duterte delivered his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) under his term.
“Congratulations to Hidilyn Diaz for winning the Philippines’ first ever gold medal in the entire history of the Olympic Games! I join the whole Filipino people in saluting your excellence and excellence! Your hard work, discipline and success inspire all of us, especially young people who aspire to be athletes just like you. Seeing our flag flying high inspires us further to overcome the challenges and rise triumphant amid the crises we are facing. As chair of the Senate Committee on Sports and on behalf of the Filipino people, thank you for giving us hope and bringing pride once more to our beloved country. Long live, Hidilyn Diaz, and all Filipino athletes,” Go said in a statement.
Going back to the historic lift.
After finishing tied for second with China’s reigning world champion Liao Qioyun in the snatch, Diaz needed to be nothing short of perfect in her three attempts in the clean and jerk to beat the Chinese favorite in what by then became a veritable chess game in the end.
Diaz had never succeeded in lifting 127kg even in training, but had consistently gone above 120kg in the weeks leading up to the quadrennial conclave.
There was no turning back. It’s lift or bust. Gold or silver.
Diaz must have heard 110 million voices chanting her name.
With one mighty burst of strength, Hidilyn Diaz–the girl from Mindanao–lifted the nation.
The search is over.
