Malacañang Golf (MALAGO) Clubhouse, Malacañang Park, Manila
July 28, 2021

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte conveyed his warmest congratulations to Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz via Zoom call as the weightlifting champion arrived in the country after her historic win at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Diaz became the first Filipino to win the Philippines its first-ever gold medal at the Olympics since the country started competing in 1924. She bested her competitors from other countries in the 55-kilogram category of the women’s weightlifting division, where China finished in second and Kazakhstan came in third.

Because of her triumph at the Olympics, Diaz is set to receive incentives and rewards both from the government and the private sector. These include PhP10 million cash incentive as mandated by law.

Likewise, the Senate Committee on Sports chaired by Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go and other government officials expressed their message of support to the weightlifting champion.

Prior to the Tokyo Olympics, she competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics where she bagged the silver medal, 2019 Southeast Asian Games, and in the 2018 Asian Games, all in the same division.

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