She is the queen of Philippine weightlifting.
Hidilyn Diaz came out in her best form to take the Philippines' first ever Olympic gold medal as she ruled the 55kg in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics weightlifting competition on Monday, July 26 at the Tokyo International Forum.
Diaz recorded a 97kg in the snatch and 127kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 224kg.
Diaz also became the first Filipina athlete to win double Olympic medals after her 2016 Rio Olympic silver medal conquest.
Swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso is the only multi-medaled Filipino Olympian after winning the bronze in the men’s 200 meter breaststroke in both the 1928 Amsterdam and 1932 Los Angeles.
The 30-year-old Filipina got off to a strong start clearing 94kg in her first snatch attempt, then proceeding to tie the previous Olympic record of 97kg in the second attempt.
After Muattar Nabieva of Uzbekista cleared 98kg to eclipse the Olympic record, Diaz looked to take the lead with 99kg, but did not record a lift.
The Tokyo Games is Diaz's fourth straight Olympics.
Good lift! Hidilyn Diaz sets early bar with 94kgs! | @ftjochoaINQ #Tokyo2020 🇵🇭💪🏼🇵🇭💪🏼pic.twitter.com/6flUn6F3MO
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) July 26, 2021