In Pictures: Meet Hidilyn Diaz - the Philippines' first ever Olympic gold medal winner

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In Pictures: Meet Hidilyn Diaz - the Philippines' first ever Olympic gold medal winner

Filipina weightlifter makes history at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Published: July 28, 2021 12:34 Matthew Smith, Sport Editor

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Hidilyn Diaz of Philippines celebrates winning the women's 55kg weightlifting event, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games — Until Monday, the Philippines, a sports-mad country of nearly 110 million people, had never won an Olympic gold medal. Image Credit: Reuters

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Hidilyn Diaz of Philippines celebrates winning the women's 55kg weightlifting event, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games — But Hidilyn Diaz, a weightlifter at her fourth Olympics, finally broke the Philippines’ nearly century-long drought by capturing a gold in the women’s 55kg division, achieving two Olympic records in the process. Image Credit: AP

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Hidilyn Diaz of Philippines winning the women's 55kg weightlifting event, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games — “It’s unbelievable,” she said, caressing the gold medal hanging on her neck. “I expected to win, but when you hold this already, it’s like, Wow, I never thought this would happen.” Image Credit: AFP

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Hidilyn Diaz edged out China's Liao Qiuyun and Kazakhstan's Zulfiya Chinshanlo in Tokyo. — Diaz, 30, said that her record-breaking 127kg lift in the clean and jerk event was the first time she had successfully hefted that much weight. Image Credit: AFP

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The father of Hidilyn Diaz — Her father expressed his delight as Diaz's family crowed on to the porch back home on the Philippines to watch her victory. Image Credit: AFP

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Hidilyn Diaz celebrates on the podium with her gold medal — She also claimed another Olympic record for the total of her two best lifts, one in the snatch and the other in the clean and jerk. Image Credit: Reuters

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A portrait of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal, is seen at a gym where her junior team members train in Zamboanga City on the southern island of Mindanao in the Philippines — Diaz is already a celebrity in Zamboanga in the south of the Philippines, but her victory has catapulted to national and global fame. Image Credit: AFP

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Hidilyn Diaz 20190510 — Diaz won silver at Rio, but the sky is the limit now she is the first Filipino to get gold around their neck. Image Credit: AFP

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Hidilyn Diaz — Diaz has been elevated to the sporting celebrity status reserved for Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, and she is already making plans for Paris 2024. Image Credit: AP

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