SHE’S 2.5 kilos over her competition weight of 55 kgs that won her the country’s first Olympic gold medal—in record fashion at that—in Tokyo in July.
Well, she jogs and lifts weights, not the heavy ones though, just enough to maintain muscle memory.
Yes, Hidilyn Diaz is busy as a bee four days short of two months from the day she ended the Philippines’s gold medal dream on July 26, 2021, at the Tokyo International Forum.
“I never expect myself to become too busy after winning the gold in Tokyo,” Diaz told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. “I never expected the overwhelming love of the Filipino people.”
She ought to be busy, she’s an Olympic champion, a sports heroine, a celebrity.
But weightlifting remains on top of the 30-year-old Diaz’s priorities.
“I am hoping by October 15 my schedule will be [back to] normal,” she said.
By normal, it’s back in the gym, most probably back to Malacca in Malaysia where she trained almost in solitary as she prepped for the Olympic record 127 kgs in clean and jerk, 97 kgs in snatch and another Games record 224 kgs in total lift in Tokyo.
Diaz is setting herself up for the only missing gold medal in her precious collection—the World Weightlifting Championships which Uzbekistan is hosting in Tashkent from December 7 to 17.
There are also the Hangzhou Asian Games in September and the postponed Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games most probably in late May.
“I still want to compete in the world championships this year and the Asian Games and SEA Games next year,” said Diaz, who won her first gold medals in Jakarta 2018 (Asian Games) and Philippines 2019 (SEA Games).
Diaz admitted that her daily non-competition commitments and training are not mixing well these days.
“It’s hard to balance my training [with my schedule],” she said. “There’re a lot of online meetings and daily activities…but I am not giving up on my goals as an athlete and also as a student.”
Diaz is also busy with her online class at the College of Saint Benilde where she’s taking up Business Management.
“I still have to continue what I love to do and I hope to inspire other athletes to chase their dreams,” she said. “I always have to set up my training time. But for now, I don’t know yet when to return to Malaysia and train…maybe next month.”
“We’re just finding some ways to train,” she added.
“We” for Diaz is Team HD (Hidilyn Diaz) which remained intact—strength and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo, sports nutritionist Jeaneth Aro, sports psychologist Karen Trinidad and, of course, coach Kaiwen Gao, who many thought went back to China for good.
“Coach Gao’s very much in Team HD,” Diaz said. “It was coach Gao’s 64th birthday yesterday [Monday], and he’s okay.”
For winning gold in her fourth consecutive Olympics, Diaz banked at least P56 million in cash bonuses from the government and private sector—not counting two houses and lots in Tagaytay City and Zamboanga City, a condominium unit in Eastwood, cars, lifetime free flights, among others—and endorsements, too.