MANILA – A dream that once seemed impossible for Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo has become reality in Makati City.
The HD LiftOff weightlifting competition officially kicked off on Saturday afternoon at the Glorietta Activity Center.
Five years since winning Olympic gold, Diaz said it was about time Filipinos were exposed to a world-class weightlifting competition at home.
The Olympic gold medalist could not help but turn emotional during the opening ceremony, seeing the competition's set-up, the athletes, and the audience.
"Kaya pala ng weightlifting community na magdaos ng isang competition dito mismo sa Glorietta Activity Center sa Makati. Kasi dati, parang imposible talaga. Kapag sinasabing magdadala tayo ng weightlifting competition sa isang establishment o mall, parating concern baka masira ang establishment, baka masira ang tiles. Pero ngayon nandito tayo," she said.
How Mampang carried Hidilyn Diaz to Olympic glory
"Napatunayan natin na posible pala. Parang noon, pinapaangarap lang natin makuha ang unang gold medal ng Pilipinas sa Tokyo 2020. Noon parang imposible rin. Pero napatunayan natin lahat ng akala nating imposible ay nagiging possible. Kapag may pangarap, may nagtitiwala, may nagtutulungan at lahat iisa ang goal natin bilang isang team, kaya natin," Diaz added.
The 35-year-old reflected on her previous experience when the set-up was different and the warmup area was located outside the mall.
"Kung makita mo 'yung saya, sobrang thankful ng mga bata na mahawakan yung Eleiko barbell 'to. Standard yung barbell na ginagamit, tapos nandito sila sa platform. Tapos may billboard, LED diyan wow. Kakaibang set-up. So, masaya ang mga bata. Masaya sila so sobrang saya ko rin," she added,
Over 100 athletes are competing in the two-day tournament, which includes youth, open/overall and masters categories with male and female divisions.
The first session of the competition featured the women's youth U12 category, where her niece Samantha Diaz ranked second in the results.
"Sobrang sayang tignan na at a young age, nag-sstart na sila mag-weightlifting. And hoping na itong competition ay mag-boost yung confidence nila para pagdating sa international, lalo silang lalakas," Diaz-Naranjo said.
"Masaya din na dahil nakikita ng taong bayan, ay pwede palang weightlifting sa mga bata rin. So makita mo na ay hindi palang weightlifting para lang sa maliliit, pwede din pala sa malalaki. So yun, naipakita natin na yung weightlifting all sizes talaga," she added.
The 12-year-old Diaz was grateful for the opportunity to compete on a big stage, where she finished second in her category.
5 years since Olympic gold, Hidilyn Diaz continues to spread weightlifting, lift up next generation
"Masaya po. Kahit na hindi po gold, masaya pa rin po. Okay lang po yun, hindi parin ako susuko. Nahirapan po ako, pero kinaya ko pa rin," she shared.
"Maswerte po ako ngayon kasi dati hindi pa ako nakakasama sa ganitong event. Ito pong nakikita niyo, natutunan ko rin sa kanya [Hidilyn] yung alam ko sa weightlifting," the young weightlifter said.
IWF Junior World Championship and Asian Championship gold medalist Albert Ian Delos Santos said HD LiftOff is good exposure for the young and aspiring weightlifters.
"I'm glad, I'm happy for them. I'm really happy for them because we didn't have much opportunities like this. And all I can say is to have fun. I want them to have fun," he said.
"It helps [them] a lot kasi it could motivate them, inspire them seeing yung ibang competitors din. Depends sa competitive nature nila, it's a good boost on their competitiveness," Delos Santos added.
NEW ROLES FOR HIDILYN
After being the one competing on the platform for several years, Diaz-Naranjo was on the other side, overseeing the competition with her husband and coach, Julius Naranjo and HD Weightlifting Academy Education Director Flip Corpus.
One of their priorities is to ensure the athletes have a safe and positive experience, while thinking of how to sustain the competition moving forward.
"Alam naman natin na ang tagal ko bilang isang atleta, and alam ko rin na halos lahat ganyan din ang pinagdadanan ng athlete na ang hirap bitawan yung role ng pagiging atleta na focus," she said.
"Masaya ako na dahil sa role ko bilang atleta, naging coach ako, naging lecturer ako. Ngayon, nag-organize sa technical controller din, technical officials din na tumutulong for fairness at ma-spread yung sports. So, nandoon pa rin ang weightlifting, pero mas marami tayong natulungan na kabataan na ma-realize ang dream nila para sa weightlifting," Diaz-Naranjo explained.
While there's still a lot to be done to spread knowledge of weightlifting across the country, she believes this competition is already a huge boost.
5 years since Olympic gold, Hidilyn Diaz continues to spread weightlifting, lift up next generation
"Naniniwala ako, napakalaki ng potensyal nating mga Pilipino sa sports na ito. Kaya napakalaking bagay para sa akin na nanandito tayo ngayon. Isa sa mga pangarap ko ay mas marami pa ang Pilipino ang makakilala, makaintindi, at eventually, mahalin ang weightlifting," Diaz-Naranjo said.
"Weightlifting is for everyone. Walang pinipiling edad, lahi, laki, kasarian. Dito, pwede natin matuklasan ang sarili nating lakas. At may express kung sino tayo. At higit sa lahat, sana makita natin na ang sports ay hindi lang kung gold sa medalya. Sports is part of nation building," she added.
Beyond her historic Olympic gold, Diaz-Naranjo said she wants to show the Filipino people that weightlifting is more than just a sport— it's a platform to achieve big things.
"Kung may isang bagay na gusto kong maiwan sa ngayong araw, ito yun. Huwag matakot mangarap ng malaki. Minsan, parang imposible. Minsan, mabigat. Pero tulad ng weightlifting, sa weightlifting, unti-unti natin binubuhat ang bigat. Hanggang isang araw, kaya na natin pala," she said.
HD LiftOff will run until August 16 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City.