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| Weightlifting heroine Hidilyn Diaz hopes to fly the Philippine flag this way in the Olympics. (Photo from Inquirer) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] Already on her fourth Olympics, Hidilyn Diaz feels she has made her mark in Philippine sporting history. “I think the one thing that I can leave behind … to the young is that with proper support, we Filipinos can compete—that we can win the Olympics,” she said just before flying to Tokyo from her training base in Malaysia, PH Inquirer reported.
On Monday, she gets a chance to cement that legacy when she competes in the 55-kilogram division of the women’s weightlifting event in the Tokyo Olympics. Margielyn Didal, meanwhile, is making her first Olympic appearance—her sport, skateboarding, is making its Summer Games debut this year. Despite being the reigning Asian champion, she is not that highly rated in the competition, as she faces a phalanx of talented rivals from Brazil and hosts Japan.
And that explains her chill approach to her quest for a medal at Ariake Urban Sports Park also on Monday—even taking time out to joke about the heat athletes have been talking about the past few days. “This is like a dream course, but with this weather, you kind of wish you were at the beach or in the water,” she said via flash quotes provided by Olympic organizers.
