TWO years ago, Hidilyn Diaz made history when she captured the Philippines’ first-ever gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
The Filipina weightlifter’s moment to glory was a culmination of a journey that included an equally momentous occasion for the Philippines seven years ago when Diaz claimed a silver medal in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.
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The feat actually happened on the afternoon of August 7, 2016 in Rio De Janeiro but in the wee hours of August 8, 2016 in the Philippines, a country thirsty for an achievement in the Olympics during that time.
Until that year, the Philippines had not won a medal in the Olympics since Mansueto ‘Onyok’ Velasco lost to Daniel Bozhilov of Bulgaria to settle for a silver in the light flyweight category.
For Filipino sports fans who stayed up late to watch Diaz, it was worth the wait as she came away with a podium finish in the Olympics to end a 20-year drought for the Philippines.
Diaz put on a sterling performance in the women’s 53kg division when she lifted a total of 200 kilograms – 88 in the snatch and 112 in the clean and jerk – which was initially good for a bronze medal.
But to the delight of Diaz, her bronze became a silver after Li Yajun of China failed to lift 126 kilograms in all her three attempts in the clean and jerk.
Li came into the event as the heavy favorite to win the gold, and she proved that early in the competition when she set a new Olympic record of 101 kilograms in the snatch, only to fail in the clean and jerk.
“Unexpected na makauwi ako ng pilak,” said Diaz in an interview after copping the silver medal, and offering the silver medal to her mother who celebrated her birthday on August 7.
Diaz may have won the gold five years later in Tokyo but it was in Rio De Janeiro where the Filipinos realized that the Olympic gold was within reach.
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