MONDAY evening was a historic night for Filipinos all over the world as we saw how Hidilyn Diaz emerged victorious in bagging the Olympic gold medal in the Women's 55-kilogram (kg) category in the weightlifting division. She also set a world record by lifting a total of 224 kg in the process. The win officially ends the 97-year drought of the Philippines in getting an Olympic gold medal and to date, Hidilyn's incentives and recognitions include not just a combined P33-million cash reward from both public and private sectors but many other winnings such as properties, fuel for life, meals for life, among others. When she arrives on Thursday, she will also be accorded a rank promotion and will be a captain.
I met her by chance on a flight back to Manila five years ago in 2016 when she just bagged the silver medal in the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. The international flight crew had a congratulatory cake for her and all passengers were cheering her on. It was only a few years after that that she would form her A-team that would help her secure the gold.
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