Hidilyn Diaz has won the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold, in the women’s 55kg weightlifting
Olympic athlete and Gen.T honouree Hidilyn Diaz has won Olympic gold, the first gold medal won by any Filipino athlete at the Olympic Games.
Diaz won gold in the women’s 55kg weightlifting, eventually edging out world champion Liao Qiuyun of China in a closely contested final few lifts that broke Olympic records.
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Going into the final lift, Liao Quiyun set an Olympic record with 126kg in the clean and jerk, giving her an Olympic record total of 223kg. In a nail-biting finale, Diaz was able to go one better, finishing with 126kg in the clean and jerk and 224kg total.
Diaz’s gold is the latest achievement in a career defined by firsts, in a sport dominated by men. In 2017 she earned the Philippines its first-ever gold in the Asian Games, and at the 2016 Games in Rio, she became the first Filipino to win an Olympic medal in 20 years, taking home the silver. This is Diaz’s fourth Games, having represented her country since the Beijing Olympics in 2008; at London 2012 she was the nations’ flag-bearer for the opening ceremony.
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