By Christine Fabro
The Philippines ’ first Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz and long-time boyfriend-coach Julius Naranjo officially announced their engagement on Saturday (Oct. 16).
“I’m grateful to God that He sent Julius into my life, he [makes] my life easy. Alam ng iba kung ano [ang] mga sinasakripisyo niya para maabot namin ang pangarap na Ginto sa Olympics together with #TeamHD,” Diaz said in a Facebook post.
“‘Nung laro, kinilig at masaya ako kasi siya mismo nagsabi [na] God is the center of our relationship. Kaya walang duda, mag-ye-yes ako dahil swerte ako may isang Julius [na] nagmamahal, nag-intindi, at sumuporta sa’kin,” she added.
According to Diaz, the proposal was a magical moment.
“Kinakabahan ako pero finally, nangyari na… Lahat naman tayo, e iyon ang inaasam, pero hindi ko ito masyadong in-expect,” she told PTV’s Joee Guilas after the proposal.
Diaz met Naranjo at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2017, a year after she clinched the silver medal in the 2016 Rio Games.
In an exclusive interview in May 2019 by Brian Yalung, Diaz said weightlifting is her profession, but still she considers building a family in the future.
“…Sobrang mahal na mahal ko ang weightlifting. Hindi ko ma-imagine na mabibitawan ko ang weightlifting as an athlete. Pero siyempre, depende kung magkakaroon na ng pamilya. Iba kasi ang time kapag may pamilya na. Medyo natatakot na ako sa posibilidad na yon,” Diaz said.
The newly-engaged couple is set to leave for Malacca, Malaysia today (Oct. 16) as Diaz will be competing in the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships on Dec. 1 to 17 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Diaz earlier expressed her desire to defend her gold medals at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi in May and the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in September next year. – bny
READ MORE: POC chief tries to persuade Hidilyn Diaz to reconsider 2024 Summer Olympics
