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Friday, March 29, 2024

The big Lift: Hidilyn Diaz goes for gold, inspiration, legacy

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More than winning a medal, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz is hoping to provide inspiration to the next generation and leave a lasting legacy as she makes her fourth Olympic appearance in Tokyo, Japan.

Diaz has already made history by becoming the first Filipino athlete to compete four times in the Summer Games, this time set July 23 to August 8.

Hidilyn Diaz

That alone already makes her a winner.

Winning the gold remains the main goal for Diaz, who has been in a lockdown training since early last year in Malaysia.  But that is not the only thing in her mind. So much has changed for Diaz since taking that silver medal in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil five years ago.

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“I realized that I have a responsibility to the Filipinos,” she said. “So that’s the power of being an Olympic medalist. You have the ability to influence the younger generation.” 

In a video on social media, Diaz called on the youth to dare to dream, set a goal and achieve their purpose.

“Importante talaga may pangarap kayo, kasi ito ang magbibigay sa inyo ng direksyion,” she said.

Bus Diaz also reminded those who dream, must accompany it with passion and hard work.

“You have to embrace hard work. Hindi naman puwedeng pangarap lang. Kung hindi ka mag-aaral at mag-training, paano mo maabot ‘yun?” 

So expect Diaz to be at the side of young Cebuana lifter Elreen Ando, who will make her first Olympic stint as she competes in the women’s -64 kilograms

Diaz, now 30, has every reason to hold a deeper mindset. She has become more matured and focused, even admitting that she could be on her final Olympic quest.

She has reached this far because she has learned to love the pain, the sacrifice.

 “Always go back to the big question ‘Why?” Bakit mo ginagawa ito? Dahil mahal mo ang ginagawa mo, mahal mo ang sports at value nito. Para sa pamilya mo. Para sa Bayan.”

Tokyo Lift

At age 17, Diaz made her first Olympic venture in 2008 in Beijing as a wildcard entry. As expected she bombed out in the prelims. She failed again in London, 2012. Slowly but surely though, she was making progress, emotionally and physically.

And when no one was looking, she surprised everyone with a silver finish in Brazil in 2016.

Diaz, again, is expected to take the big lift in Tokyo. This time she has learned to be more focused, unlike in 2016 in Rio where nerves got into her.

“This time, mas focused na ako and mas ma-handle ko na ang pressure and expectations of people,” she said.

Diaz booked a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics without winning a medal at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Her lift of 90kgs in the snatch on her second attempt was enough to earn her a berth. Against a stacked field, she finished in 4th place overall with a 94kg snatch and a 118kg clean and jerk.

Hidilyn Diaz

She did just fine. She didn’t have to force herself.

On a fine, shiny day, she could do a 130kg in Clean and Jerk. Diaz, who stays up and down the Top 5 of the world ranking, did just that in one of her training days in Malaysia.

Diaz attributes her new mindset to her whole crew which she named Team Hidilyn or Team HD–her chinese coach Kaiwan Gao for all her lifting techiques; coach Julius Naranjo for her strength and conditioning; coach Jeaneth Aro for her nutrition needs; and sports psychologist Karen Trinidad to boost her mind condition.

Another motivator for Diaz are the soldiers, who perished in that fateful C-130 crash in Sulu, south of Philippines recently.

Diaz, an Enlisted Personnel of the Philippine Air Force, said she wants to give honor to her fallen comrades by performing her best in the Summer Games. 

Diaz, along with boxing Olympian Eumir Marcial, recently paid a courtesy call via zoom to Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Cirilito Sobejana.

Tough Field

The road to the gold medal won’t be easy against a tough 55-kg field, led by Chinese world champion Liao Quiyun.

Naranjo appreciates the natural strength possessed by Liao, who is competing for the first time in the Olympics. Diaz will bank on her highly developed steely nerves and experience.

“Hidilyn has all the experience and knows what it’s like to be on the Olympic Stage. So this battle comes down to strength versus experience,” said Naranjo.

Liao had a total of 222 kilograms out of her 98kg lift in snatch and 124kg in clean and jerk in the International Weightlifting Federation Asian Championships in Tashkent last April.

That’s impressive, but on her best day, Diaz could lift 130 kgs in Clean and Jerk.

Before the COVID-19 virus struck in 2020, Diaz made a three-gold romp in the women’s 55-kg division of the Roma Weightlifting World Cup in Italy. Then, pandemic took over the world and Diaz was stuck in Malaysia, where she continued her training. While there, she copped an online international title in July.

Where it all began 

As a young lass in Zamboanga City, Diaz used to walk far from home to help fetch water for her family. She is fifth of six children of Eduardo and Emelita Diaz. Her father was a tricycle driver before becoming a farmer and a fisherman.

Her lifting ability brought her to a local gym, where her cousin, Allen Jayfrus Diaz, taught her the basics of weightlifting.

She took the sport seriously and after many local tournaments and several national games under different coaches, she finally found herself competing in the Beijing Olympics at the age of 17.

After back-to-back failures in the Olympics, Diaz and her coaches made important adjustments in her strategy and direction. When she suffered a knee injury that forced her to opt out of the Asian Games, she went back to the gym to become stronger. Smaller but fitter.

From 58 kgs, she downsized to 53 kgs and then again she booked a ticket to to Rio in 2016. The rest is history.

Now, she has given her family a good life from the millions of incentives she received as a medalist. She has also built a weighlifting gym in Zamboanga, where poor, young townmates can learn the ropes of weightlifting.

Diaz has opened the nation’s eyes that weightlifting could be a source of pride in the Olympics.

Whatever happens in what could be her final dance in Tokyo, the name Hidilyn Diaz will be forever etched in Philippine Olympic history.

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