Zamboangueño weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz took home the first-ever gold medal of the Philippines following her win in the Tokyo Olympics on Monday (July 26).
Diaz edged Liao Qiuyun of China to nab the gold medal in the women’s 55-kilogram weightlifting event at the Tokyo International Forum. She recorded 97 kilograms in snatch, tallied an Olympic record of 127 kilograms in clean and jerk, and another Olympic record for the total of 224 kilograms.
The competition between Diaz and Liao was close towards the end but Diaz snatched the gold with her record-breaking 127 kilogram lift.
Liao ended at second place with her 223-kilogram total followed by Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo with 213 kilograms.
With the win, Diaz eclipsed her silver medal finish in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics that ended the country’s 20-year medal drought. PTV Sports/NGS-rir
