HIDILYN Diaz and Agatha Wong are proud to prove that women can overcome any form of adversity.
The two Asian Games gold medalists, honored by their alma mater, College of Saint Benilde, on Thursday, take pride in the fact that 13 of the country’s 18 medals from the Jakarta and Palembang Games were delivered by women.
“I think we know that every country is actually a dominantly patriarchal society so you know when they comment that, ‘You play like a girl.’ It’s quite an insult,” said Wong, who brought home a bronze medal in women’s Wushu taijiquan and taijijan event.
“Pero in this case, out of 18 medals, 13 of those were from Filipina women and I can say na I’m really proud not only to be a Filipino but basically to be a girl and represent this country.”
“I think their perspective on gender and equality has changed na rin and I think they started to view women as, you know, we’re not that weak naman. When you look at it we’re equally the same as men so I just want every Filipino to know na you cannot downgrade women kasi women are as a great as men,” she added.
Diaz, the gold medalist in weightlifiting, had one message for those who continue to underestimate women in sports.
“Tara magbuhat tayo tignan natin sino mas malakas sa ating dalawa,” said the first Filipina gold medalist in the 2018 Jakarta Games.
Before their triumphant stint in the Asiad, the two athletes needed to overcome problems with budget support. They also faced separate challenges: Wong her injuries, Diaz the pressure of heightened expectations.
Wong used the same costume she wore in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games Kuala Lumpur and her team's training camp in China was far from ideal due to budget cuts.
“To be honest, It hasn’t been really that solid before Asian Games; we had financial problems kasi wala kaming coach, wala budget for new costume,” Wong said.
“That was when I had a bronze medal, may nagtanong sa akin na interviewer bakit ‘yun pa rin ‘yung ginagamit kong suot so ‘yung sinabi ko because I used it in SEA Games so I just decided to use it this Asian Games. Pero ‘yung totoo is wala kaming budget, walang binigay na budget for us to get any costume tapos walang budget for shoes, tapos late na ‘yung budget for weapons.”
“And then, we didn’t train in China, usually a competition as big as SEA Games, a competition as big as Asian Games, it was mandatory for us to train in China kasi I knew if we went to China we would have had a better shot sa Asian Games,” she added.
Diaz, who has been very vocal on the lack of government support for athletes, said those shortcomings were their main motivation to make a huge statement that they can bring home medals.
“Para sa akin nag-serve ‘yun as motivation kasi kahit na underdog tayo o minsan kulang sa suporta pero tayong mga Pilipinong atleta napatunayan namin na kaya namin,” Diaz said. “Sana sa susunod na laro sana pakinggan nila yung atleta kung ano ang kailangan ng atleta kasi preparasyon talaga ang kailangan.”
Wong also had to deal with a Grade 2 slipped disc and patellar tendonitis in the run-up to the Asiad.
“It was actually really hard for me to accept kasi I knew na I had to heal pero nandito pa rin ‘yung slip disc ko si when I competed in the Asian games that was the biggest challenge. I had to face it, ignore my injuries and just compete,” she said.
Diaz, for her part, also dealt with minor injuries. But the biggest challenge came in the form of pressure to translate her 2016 Rio Olympics silver medal into an Asian Games gold.
“‘Yung pinaka-challenge talaga ‘yung pressure, yun nga weeks before alam ko ng mananalo ako, so paano ko mahahandle ‘yung pressure? Paano ako (magiging) mentally tough na kailangan positive pa rin ako?” she said. “Although nagdadoubt na ko kailangan ko pa rin maging positive so ‘yun ‘yung mahirap sakin kasi siyempre expectations ng mga tao tapos ‘yung expectations ko rin sa sarili ko.”
It was a tall order for the Filipina weightlifter since in the Olympics, there were no expectations, but her willingness to win it for the country helped her overcome pressure.
“Sa Olympics walang nagexpect na mananalo ako, sa Asian Games ginusto ko ‘to. Gusto kong manalo at alam kong mananalo ako ng Gold kasi ‘yung pressure sobrang taas sa sarili ko at sa ibang tao,” Diaz said.
“Medyo mahirap lang talaga kasi nanalo ka na ng Rio Olympics tapos nandito ka pa. Ganun “yung tanong ko lagi sa sarili ko: ‘Bakit nandito pa rin ako?’ kasi may goal ako gusto ko manalo ng gold and gusto ko rin maincrease ‘yung awareness ng weight lifting sa Pilipinas," she added.
Wong and Diaz are both bracing for respective World tournaments this year before they shift their focus on the 2019 SEA Games Philippines.
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