26 Jul 2021

The Philippines have had a rough trot over the years in their Olympic sports. They’ve competed in all the Summer Olympic Games since 1924 except for a boycott in 1980, plus only had three silver and seven bronze to the country’s name. 

This was before Hidilyn Diaz made history at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday, becoming the first ever gold medallist from the Philippines!

As a proud Filipino, I am quaking.

Hidilyn won in the women’s 55kg category for weightlifting and if winning wasn’t already enough, she broke the Olympic record with her two successful lifts which was a combined weight of 224kg! Make way for, what some fans are calling her, the weightlifting fairy 🧚‍♀️

When I watched this last night, you bet I was choking up, bawling and cheering all at once. The emotional scenes of relief and excitement Hidilyn had after realising she just won, her coach running on stage, the tears of joy - it was all so inspiring to see and to all the Filipino’s of the world, Philippines represent. The salute and crying while belting out the Philippines national anthem? Someone pass me a handkerchief, please.

@7olympics ♬ original sound - 7olympics

I decided to write down what my mum was saying in between her excitement because y’know, content.

“She is so tiny - how did she lift that much?”

Mum: “AHHH, she did it! Bianca, did she win gold?”
Bianca: “Yes!”
Mum: “AAAA! So good!”

“Filipino’s are so good in everything.”

“Look at her crying, she is so happy.”

To say this means a lot to the people in the Philippines and all over the world is an understatement. And what it means to Hidilyn? Well after her victory, she said to the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

“I sacrificed a lot. I wasn’t able to be with my mother and father for how many months and years and then of course, training was excruciating, but God had a plan.”

Hidilyn has not been back at home since 2019 - Initially training in Malaysia in early 2020 for the Olympics before it got postponed, she was forced to stay there due to Covid-19 restrictions. Along with gym closures, lack of training equipment and the unknown of if the Olympics were going ahead at all, she was still doing it all by raising money for food packages for families back in the Philippines that were suffering due to the pandemic.

Growing up, I was always told by my mother that life in the Philippines is hard. It’s easy to say that she came out on a working visa, met my father and the rest is history but her life beforehand was anything but easy. Being the eldest out of six children, she struggled to make a living for herself so when she was given the opportunity to work in Australia, she never looked back.

My tito's (uncles) and tita's (aunties) worked in my lolo’s (grandfathers) mechanic shop and ‘til this day, all still live in the family house upstairs with all their children. We send money every month. I’ve seen them only put in 150 pesos in their gas tank (equivalent to four Australian dollars) to just get by. My mum would tell me, if you don’t have enough money to go to hospital, they wouldn’t take you in. She’s had jewellery stolen off her, some days her parents weren’t able to put food on the table. 

It’s still a struggle my family still face today but it’s a struggle known all too well by the people in the Philippines.

Suffering from poverty in her childhood, to pursuing her athletic career, working in the air force and studying at college - Hidilyn Diaz has done it all.

This Olympic gold win represents all of Hidilyn’s hard work, sweat and tears. It is the embodiment of all her previous achievements and for what’s yet to come. We’re all so proud of you, Hidilyn! 🥇