Diaz: Future of weightlifting is bright

Hidilyn Diaz shows off her tattoo of the Olympic rings. Photo by Randolph Leongson

Grateful for the year that was, Rio Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz is hoping to spend time with her family this Christmas season and start imparting her knowledge in weightlifting to the youth as early as now.

“My Christmas wish is to be with my family and give time to teach and bond with the kids in Zamboanga. I
didn’t have the time then and I’ll be happy if I can do that,” she said.

Diaz is still fixing issues with the lot she bought for her planned gym, but this early, the 25-year-old is excited to develop future champions from Mampang.

“I can see a lot of potential, especially in Mampang Weightlifting Club. I can say that the future of weightlifting is bright,” she said.

As for Diaz herself, she is looking to juggle her jam-packed schedule, which includes training for next year’s big competitions, inspirational talks, and studying, as she transfers to the College of St. Benilde under the course of business management.

But the dream never wanes for Diaz, making it clear that she is still as determined as ever to return to the Olympics, this time in Tokyo 2020.

“There’s the world championships on November in the United States, but I think there’s still competitions around April or May. I might also go up to women’s 58-kilogram,” she said. “I don’t want to exhaust myself. I know that if I will make a sacrifice, it should be for the Olympics because it’s every athlete’s target and it’s the hardest competition out there.”