HIDILYN DIAZ-NARANJO won’t be throwing barbell weights on her bashers—regardless of how pathetically insulting their remarks are.
She’s the Philippines’s first Olympic gold medalist, a national treasure. Simple.
“It’s just heart [to them],” Diaz Naranjo told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. “I just try my best to understand them and God bless them.”
Bashers took swipes at Diaz Naranjo after the 2021 Olympic weightlifting champion in Tokyo told a recent television interview that she needs funds for her training, first, to qualify for Paris 2024, and, second, if she qualifies for her fifth straight Olympics, her preparation and training for competition.
“I’m focusing on my training and preparation, first, for my qualification for Paris,” said the 31-year-old Diaz Naranjo, who, according to financial experts, could have breached P100 million for her Olympic gold medal in terms of cash and non-cash bonuses and incentives and commercial endorsements.
But the bashers aren’t that many anyway—drop them into a pool of her supporters and they turn invisible.
“She’s not asking for something extra…just what’s minimum for her to fulfill her training and represent the Philippines to her highest capacity,” said world No. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, who was home for a vacation recently and had dinner with her in a reunion of sorts of Tokyo Olympians.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Noli Eala showed concern for Diaz Naranjo.
Tolentino said Diaz Naranjo’s bashers don’t comprehend the dynamics of qualifying and winning in the Olympics.
“It’s part of the Olympic journey and it must be supported [financially],” said Tolentino, also the president of PhilCycling. “They’re just among the few and you can count them with your fingers.”
“We should remember that Hidilyn won the country’s first Olympic gold medal,” Tolentino added.
Eala called on the bashers to “stop the nonsense criticism” of Diaz.
“Hidilyn [Diaz] is considered a national treasure of Philippine sports. She brought unprecedented honor to our country,” Eala said. “Hidilyn will always have the support of the PSC.”
“I call on our kababayans to stop uncalled bashing of Hidilyn. The matter of the alleged lack of funds for her training may simply be her determined wish to strengthen another shot at victory for our country,” Eala added.
Champon triathlete Nikko Huelgas, chairman of the POC’s Athletes Commission, said Diaz Naranjo’s critics, all of them online, don’t understand her situation.
“It’s really misunderstood and taken out of context. The financial status demands are of the highest standards to reach an Olympic gold medal,” Huelgas said. “It’s a huge investment…not just about talent and hard work and planning, but finance as well.”
Huelgas added: “Try to understand the situation of the Olympic level, it’s not easy. Just pray and believe that she can deliver another gold.”
Diaz and her team will fly to Georgia in Atlanta on November 15 for a training camp for her participation in the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships from December 5 to 16 in Bogota, Colombia.
Only a world championship gold medal is missing in Diaz Naranjo’s collection.