HIDILYN Diaz has learned to embrace the challenge and pressure of winning the Philippines’ first ever Olympic gold medal.
That has been the norm for the Filipina weightlifter ever since she ended the country’s 20-year medal drought in the Olympics by winning the silver medal in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Games.
From being hesitant, Diaz, a native of Zamboanga City, is more confident now, stressing winning the gold in the women’s 55-kilogram category in the Tokyo Olympics that kicks off three weeks from hereon, is definitely her main target.
“Kinakabahan ako na everytime na naririnig ko na ‘gold na yan.’ Naisip ko na kailangan ko embrace na ito ang destiny ko, kailangan ko i-claim para manalo ako,” she said.
Diaz displayed the new-found confidence in Episode 1 of the documentary ‘Let’s Go HD’ shown on the Facebook page of Kick-Start Coffee Brewed Awakening last Thursday (July 1).
The four-part, video-diary series is a natural, free flowing, and heartfelt program focusing on Diaz’s struggles, the highs and lows of being an elite athlete, and glimpse of her training in Malaysia where she and her ‘HD Team’ have been in training since February of 2020.
Hidilyn Diaz lessons
Diaz said after the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil, she learned to handle well the pressure and expectations of people for her to deliver the long elusive gold medal for the country in the Tokyo edition of the Olympics.
Part of that confidence she now has is the type of training she's been getting under team, led by Chinese mentor Kaiwen Gao, strength and conditioning mentor Julius Naranjo, and sports nutritionist Jeaneth Aro.
“We’re doing our best, to make our training more productive,” said Diaz, who opted to train abroad to be more focused, something which she felt she won’t get if her training is in Manila as her concentration would be divided to other things.
Diaz will be making her fourth straight Olympic stint in a sport where she’s been involved with at the young age of 11.
“Nag-start ako sa weightlifting noong 2002. Bakit ako sumali sa weightlifting? In weightlifting I feel like I belong,” said Diaz, who back then, also tried her hands in basketball and volleyball.
“This is the gift that God gave me. This is the talent that God gave me and eto din yung oportunidad na binigay sa akin ni God to influence other people during this time – it’s not time to give up.”
Diaz said it inspires her to give her best in training camp and do better in the Tokyo Games to show fellow Filipinos that despite the struggles amid pandemic, there are enough reasons to get back on track and be ready for the challenge.
The 10-minute per episode documentary will be shown again on Thursday for Episode 2 on July 8, while Episode 3 will be on July 15, and Episode 4 on July 22 as Kick-Start Coffee serves as the ‘digital cheerer’ in Hidilyn’s quest for the Olympic gold medal.
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