Hidilyn Diaz named PSA’s Athlete of the Year

by Manila Bulletin Sports

There’s still plenty of gas left in the tank for Hidilyn Diaz.

More than a year since giving the Philippines its first gold medal in the Olympics, the Filipina weightlifter hasn’t slowed down yet and reached another milestone in her storied career.

Hidilyn Diaz will be honored with her third PSA Athlete of the Year trophy in the last five years. (File Photo/AFP)

Diaz, 31, finally stamped her class in the IWF World Weightlifting Championships behind a dominant sweep of the women’s 55-kilogram class during the 88th edition of the meet held at the Gran Carpa Americas Corferias Convention Center in the Colombian capital of Bogota. 

Behind a golden treble, the Zamboanga City native ruled the snatch with a lift of 93kg and 114kg in the clean-and-jerk, for a total of 207kg and a breakthrough in the world meet following five failed bids in previous campaigns.

The special feat completed Diaz’s bucket list of winning a gold in international events, from the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, World Championship, all to the way to the Olympics, a feat no other Filipino athlete in history had ever achieved.

In recognition of the latest in a long line of honor she brought to the country, the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) will bestow Diaz anew with the Athlete of the Year award.

The humble Filipina weightlifter will be honored with her third Athlete of the Year trophy in the last five years during the traditional San Miguel Corporation (SMC)-PSA Awards Night on March 6 at the grand ballroom of the Diamond Hotel.

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In all, this will be the fourth Athlete of the Year honor for Diaz, making her only the third person since 2000 to win the award four times after world boxing greats Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire Jr.

“Hidilyn Diaz was the unanimous choice as Athlete of the Year for 2022 by the Philippine Sportswriters Association. Her latest triumph is a testament to her being a true world-class athlete who continues to be an inspiration to the Filipino people since her historic gold medal win in the Tokyo Olympics,” said PSA president Rey Lachica, sports editor of Tempo.

The gala night presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cignal TV, won’t be possible without major backers Philippine Olympic Committee, Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino, MILO, Rain or Shine, 1Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero, Philippine Basketball Association, OKBet, and ICTSI.

The year that passed was truly memorable for Diaz, who also won a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

An enlisted personnel of the Philippine Air Force with the rank of Staff Sergeant, Hidilyn kicked off her 2022 campaign by retaining the gold in the women’s 55kg event during the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam last summer.

Two months later, she entered a new phase of her life by marrying long-time coach and fiancé Julius Naranjo in Baguio City. 

Following a brief rest, Diaz was back in active competition and soon after, conquered the world with her golden feat in Bogota.

Hidilyn Diaz, two others chosen to be part of IWF Executive Board

by Kristel Satumbaga-Villar, MB

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Athletes’ Commission has chosen Hidilyn Diaz as one of the three representatives to the IWF Executive Board in a milestone moment for the sport.

Hidilyn Diaz has been chosen as one of the athletes’ representatives to the International Weightlifting Federation Executive Board. (FIle Photo/ AFP)

Diaz will join Forrester Osei of Ghana, who retains leadership of the Athletes’ Commission, and Luisa Peters, who retired from competition after representing Cook Islands after the 2018 Commonwealth Games. 

The three chosen representatives will serve as full voting members of the IWF Congress and will remain in post until the next IWF electoral congress.

The IWF also becomes the first international federation to achieve such a level of athlete representation as far as IWF President Mohamed Jalood is concerned.

“I am delighted to welcome Forrester, Hidilyn and Luisa to the IWF Executive Board,” Jalood said.

“We look forward to working closely together as we seek to shape a new future for weightlifting, which places athletes at the center of everything we do.”

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Jalood added strengthening athlete representation in decision-making “is a key stepping stone to greater accountability and progress in our sport.”

The new Athletes’ Commission will hold its first meeting online in the coming weeks to discuss short-, medium- and long-term objectives.

Part of its priorities is establishing the athlete scholarship program.

Diaz is widely known as the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist when she won in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has also recently claimed a world championships title.

Hidilyn bags 3 golds in World Championships

 

ANOTHER RECORD Hidilyn Diaz shows grace as she lifts for gold and possibly a ticket to the next Olympics in this screen grab from the International Weightlifting Federation.

By Waylon Galvez, Manila Times

December 9, 2022 600

(UPDATE) HIDILYN Diaz-Naranjo won three gold medals to rule the 55-kilogram category of the World Championships of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in Bogota, Colombia on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

The 31-year-old Zamboanga City native had a total lift of 207 kilograms.

ANOTHER RECORD Hidilyn Diaz shows grace as she lifts for gold and possibly a ticket to the next Olympics in this screen grab from the International Weightlifting Federation. 

The Athlete of the Year of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) also lifted 93 kilos in the snatch and 114 kilos in the clean and jerk for her two other golds.

Rosalba Morales of Colombia won the silver and Ana Gabriela Lopez of Mexico the bronze.

The Tokyo Olympics champion tried for 117 and 121 kg but registered no lift in both attempts.

The golds were the first for Diaz-Naranjo at the World Championships, and came a year after she handed the Philippines its first Olympic gold medal.

She previously won golds in the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, Asian Championship, the Asian Indoor and Mixed Martial Arts Games, and the World Cup.

The World Championships also served as a qualifying event for Diaz-Naranjo who hopes to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Morales had a total lift of 199 kg and took silver in clean and jerk, while Lopez had a total lift of 198 kg and bagged silver in snatch.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Jose Emmanuel "Noli" Eala congratulated Diaz.

"Hidilyn has proven once again that the fire in her heart to be second to none in her field continues to burn and remains the benchmark by which every weightlifter and Filipino athlete must measure themselves against," Eala said in a statement.

"The PSC will forever be proud of Hidilyn as the epitome of a great champion and will always provide support in her continuing quest to bring honor to our country. Mabuhay!" he said.

Filipino weightlifters Elreen Ando, Vanessa Sarno, Kristel Macrohon and Dave Lloyd Pacaldo are also expected to vie for medals at the World Championships and slots for the 2024 Olympics.

Hidilyn Diaz spearheads PH team to world weightlifting championships Published November 10, 2022, 12:51 PM

by Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz banners the elite cast of weightlifters when they see action in the 2022 IWF World Championships on Dec. 5 to 16 in Bogota, Colombia.

Hidilyn Diaz starts her 2024 Paris Olympics campaign when she competes in the world championships in Bogota, Colombia next month. (File Photo)

Diaz will compete in the women’s 55kg class – the same weight division where she won the Olympic gold in Tokyo last year – in the tournament that offers ranking points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Joining Diaz are fellow Tokyo Olympian Elreen Ando, Asian champion Vanessa Sarno, world juniors gold medalist Rosegie Ramos, Southeast Asian Games gold winner Kristel Macrohon, and Lovely Inan.

Ando will battle in women’s 59kg, Sarno and Macrohon in 71kg, and Ramos and Inan in 49kg.

The men’s team will feature 2015 Asian champion Nestor Colonia, John Febuar Ceniza and Dave Lloyd Pacaldo.

Colonia will compete in the 55kg, Ceniza in 61kg and Pacaldo in 67kg. 

Accompanying the athletes are coaches Ramon Solis, Richard Agosto, Joe Patrick Diaz and Julius Naranjo, as well as weightlifting president Monico Puentevella and Team HD members Jeaneth Aro and Karen Trinidad.

Diaz hopes to maintain or surpass her bronze medal finishes in the 2015 Houston, 2017 Anaheim and 2019 Pattaya editions, while Sarno and Ando seek a podium finish after both placed fifth in their weight classes last year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Hidilyn retains weightlifting title

WORTH HER  WEIGHT IN GOLD  Philippines’ Hidilyn Diaz wins gold in the women’s 55 kg weightlifting event during the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Hanoi on Friday, May 20, 2022.  PHOTO COURTESY OF AFP

By Jean Malanum, Manila Times

(UPDATE) HIDILYN Diaz emerged the winner in a battle of Olympic champions to retain her title in the 55-kilogram weightlifting category Friday in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Diaz's victory provided one of the three gold medals that added to the country's medal harvest for the day. The other two came from esports and judo.

It also provided a bright note on a day when the Philippines slid to fifth place in the medal standings.

Diaz, who gave the country's its first Olympic gold medal, in Tokyo last year, lifted 92 kg in the snatch and 114 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 206 kg, 3 kilos more than the tally of 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Sanikun Tanasan of Thailand.

Diaz was trailing Sanikun in the snatch after failing to clear 93 kg. The Thai then lifted 110 kg in her second attempt in the clean and jerk, but Diaz wiped out the Thai's lead by raising 114 kg in her first attempt.

Sanikun tried to match the Filipino's lift but was unable to do so in her third attempt.

Amit pockets women's 9-ball gold in Vietnam

Diaz tried to add the icing to her cake by going for a new SEA Games record of 121 kg. She failed but still managed a smile.

Natasya Beteyob of Indonesia lifted 188 kg to finish third.

Diaz said later winning at the SEA Games was just the beginning of her quest for a third Olympic gold.

"My journey toward Paris [Olympics] starts here, so this SEA Games gold is very important for me," she said.

Wong leads PH wushu team in SEA Games

Diaz admitted having struggled while training for the Hanoi Games because of commitments she had to attend to after her Olympic victory.

At the Vietnam National Convention Center, Team Sibol bagged the second gold medal for the esports team with a victory in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).

Team Sibol defeated Indonesia, 3-1, in the best-of-five final series.

The Philippines earlier downed Singapore, 2-1, while Indonesia beat Malaysia, 2-0, in the semifinals to arrange the championship showdown.

PH bags 2 more golds, slips to 4th place

The Philippine MLBB team is composed of Jonar Villanueva (captain), Russel Aron Usi, Kyle Dominic Soto, Dexter Louise Alaba, Danerie James Del Rosario, Salic Imam and Lee Howard Gonzales.

Team Sibol won its first gold medal last Wednesday in the Legends: Wild Rift (Mobile) women's team event.

At the Hoai Duc Gymnasium, Filipino Japanese judoka Shugen Nakano ruled the men's 66 kg category as he defeated hometown bet Hoang Phuc Truong, 1-0, in their final match to retain the title he won at the 2019 Manila Games.

Obiena wins gold, breaks own SEA Games record

Thailand settled for the bronze medal following a 1-0 win over Cambodia.

t was Singapore who dislodged the Philippines from fourth place in the standings.

As of 8 p.m. on Friday, the country had collected 42 golds, 59 silvers and 80 bronzes.

Still on top was host Vietnam with a 162-97-92 medal tally. followed by Thailand (65-73-105), Indonesia (47-66-63) and Singapore (47-44-62).

The Philippines, however, remains on track for snagging the coveted gold in basketball. Undefeated Gilas Pilipinas tries to move closer to retaining the men's title when it battles Malaysia at 11 a.m. at the Than Tri Gymnasium on Saturday.

"We all know that the big test is Indonesia, but we can't look past Malaysia. We've been watching. 'Yung Malaysian [team] sa atin nagpatigas 'yan (toughened up after they played us). They played in the Philippines and we really like the way they play," Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes said.

The team's final game will be against Indonesia on Sunday.

In billiards, the Philippines is assured of two more golds since the final matches in women's and men's 10-ball singles will be all-Filipino affairs.

Chezka Centeno and Rubilen Amit downed their respective rivals in the semis to arrange a showdown for the women's title, while 9-ball singles gold medalist Johann Chua and Carlo Biado duel for the men's crown after ousting their Singaporean opponents in the semis.

Olympic champ Hidilyn Diaz gets double treat

by Manila Bulletin Sports

Olympic gold medal winner Hidilyn Diaz gets a double treat in the March 14 staging of the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Annual Awards Night at the Diamond Hotel.

The 31-year-old history maker from Zamboanga City will be the first ever recipient of the MILO Champion of Grit and Glory award for winning the country’s first ever Olympic gold.

 

The trophy is apart from the prestigious Athlete of the Year award to be bestowed on the Filipina weightlifter during the two-hour affair presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, and Cignal TV.

“MILO Philippines presents the award to Hidilyn Diaz in recognition of her historic Olympic triumph, borne of her unwavering spirit, dedication, and grit that serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for the nation,” MILO said in a statement regarding the choice of Diaz as the deserving recipient of the special award.

As part of the package, Diaz will also receive a year’s supply of MILO products.

MILO officials led by Veronica Cruz, Senior Vice President, Business Executive Officer, MILO Philippines, and Lester P. Castillo, Assistant Vice President, Head of MILO Sports, MILO Philippine, will be on hand to award the trophy to the country’s maiden Olympic gold medalist.

Diaz leads the compact list of 38 awardees to be feted by the country’s oldest media organization in the traditional gala night backed by MILO (official choco milk), 1Pacman, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Philracom, Rain or Shine, ICTSI, Chooks To Go, Smart, and MVP Sports Foundation.

The Filipina weightlifter will be receiving her third Athlete of the Year trophy to add to her previous award in 2016 and 2018, respectively.