Pinay weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won the Philippines’ first gold medal at the Olympics after winning the women’s 55-kg weightlifting event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Monday held at the Tokyo International Forum in Japan.
This is the first gold medal of the Philippines since competing in the Olympics in 1924.
Diaz scored a total of 224, to surpass Liao Qiuyun of China.
There were no problems with Diaz’s first and second laps at 94 and 97kgs, respectively. But she failed in the third 99kg.
In the clean and jerk, Diaz was successful in lifting 119kg, even in the second lift of 124kg and 127 in the third lift.
This is Hidalyn Diaz’s fourth consecutive Olympic bout.
In August 2016, the Philippines won its first Olympic medal in 20 years after Mindanao’s Hidilyn Diaz finished the women’s weightlifting category by powerlifting 200kg on Monday.
The silver medal is the Philippines’ first since the 1996 Atlanta games when Onyok Velasco won the silver medal for lightweight boxing.
Hidilyn Diaz wins Philippines’ first Olympic gold medal
Hidilyn Diaz managed to clear 111kg on her first attempt in the clean and jerk position – her second attempt took her to 112kg, elevating her from bronze to silver.
She was a bronze medalist in the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand and achieved 10th place at the 2006 Asian Games in the 53-kilogram class. And while a student of the Universidad de Zamboanga representing her university, she won two golds and one silver in the Asian Youth/Junior Weightlifting Championship held in Jeonju, South Korea.
Diaz was recruited into the Philippine Air Force (PAF) through the military arm’s Direct Enlistment Program in 2013. She was initially assigned to the Air Force Special Service Group. She was also given an Air Force Specialty Code skill in recreation in weightlifting. In 2014, she was given a promotion from the rank of Airwoman to Airwoman Second Class. Diaz was also a recipient of a Military Merit Medal for organizing PAF events and a Presidential Citation Unit Badge.
Hidilyn Diaz, a native of Zamboanga City, is the first female athlete to win an Olympic medal for the Philippines.
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