Hidilyn, my friend? No free gas freeloaders yet for Olympic weightlifter

Diaz makes sure she uses her free perk responsibly
Mar 15, 2022
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Hidilyn Diaz and Julius Naranjo at the 2021 San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night.
PHOTO: Spin.ph Staff

HIDILYN, my friend?

Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz couldn't help but laugh and brush off the notion of her gaining more and more "friends" especially with the continuous increase in gas prices.

"Hindi naman po," she humbly told Spin.ph as she received her third Athlete of the Year trophy in the 2021 San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night on Monday at the Diamond Hotel in Manila.

Diaz went trending online over the past week as fans alluded to the windfall of rewards that she got following her groundbreaking triumph in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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    Pledges, both monetary and in kind, were given to the unassuming Zamboanguena weightlifter, including a lifetime supply of gas from Phoenix Petroleum.

    And with gas prices continuing to shoot up largely due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, witty Filipino fans just can't stop themselves from saying sana allor in this case, sana oil.

    Hidilyn Diaz uses her free gasoline perk responsibly

    Diaz, though, clarified that although incentives like these may seem luxurious, she hasn't really made the most of it as much as people assumes it to be.

    "Hindi ko naman po ina-araw-araw yun," she responded with a laugh.

    Phoenix Petroleum can heave a bit of a sigh of relief that it won't go bankrupt anytime soon because of the promises it gave to Diaz.

    Petron has also been sponsoring the decorated weightlifter as one of its endorsers, albeit with an undisclosed amount and coverage of gas.

    There's one person though, who should consider himself lucky for this windfall: Diaz' coach and fiance Julius Naranjo.

    "Mas siya yung nagda-drive sa amin," said Diaz. "Nagda-drive din naman ako pero mas siya yung mas madalas."

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    Hidilyn Diaz and Julius Naranjo at the 2021 San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night.
    PHOTO: Spin.ph Staff
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