As a young girl, Hidilyn Diaz faced disapproval from society and family for her chosen sport of weightlifting. Years later, her decision to ignore disapproving voices paid off, with an Olympic gold medal in the 55kg category of the women’s weightlifting event in Tokyo, her second Olympic medal and the country’s first-ever gold.

The entire nation watched with bated breath as Diaz lifted, in one swift motion, 127 kilogrammes in the clean-and-jerk event of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Philippines joined her as she cheered and cried. Earlier, she lifted 97 kilogrammes in the snatch event, bringing her to a 254-kilogramme total that qualified for a historic gold. It is the country’s first Olympic gold medal in over a century and the first for a Filipina in the sport. For Diaz, it’s a first in a career obstructed by financial difficulty, defeat and injury.

When she won silver at the Rio 2016 Olympics, she sustained a knee injury that added to the problems taxing her mental health. Despite this, the athlete established the Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Gym in her hometown of Zamboanga in 2018.

Midway through training for the pandemic-delayed Tokyo event, she also needed more funding from the government. Diaz knew that this would be her last shot for an Olympic medal, so she trained smarter, dropped her weight category to gain an advantage and drew strength from the muscle that is her heart.

With the 55kg weight division dropped from the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Diaz will compete in the 59kg class. Despite the change, she remains determined to break more records in the Olympic Games.