Hidilyn, the name to behold!

By: Peter Paul C. Cubay

The hunger and thirst of Filipinos to claim gold for over a century has now been satiated
and quenched as the sports heroine from Zamboanga, Hidilyn Diaz made headline as the first
Filipino who successfully took the most coveted top spot in Olympic Games held in Tokyo
Japan.

The trailblazer in sports called weightlifting fondly and mostly played by men has been a
consistent dreamer and warrior to push herself to the world arena who sacrificed a lot to prove
she can be an iconic prodigy in her time. Now, she has it indeed.

Diaz has joined many times in a row as Philippine delegates to the international athletic
competition and ended them all in a podium finish. Yet, this does not stop her determination to
someday get a name in the filed of sports as her heart is oozing with passion in this field.

For Diaz, winning the historic prize in 55 kg weightlifting category is an outcome of

prayer and sacrifice. Not her alone expressed intense prayer and devotion but her entire team
who offered a novena prior to her game. She added that her feat is a manifestation of God’s
power and miracle as she endured the tough trainings and struggles in life. Life away from her
family for a long period of time is one of the hardest tests she ever has had.
If we reflect on her journey before the hard-earned accolade, what might this give to us
as plain spectators?
True enough, Diaz is an inspiration for everyone and a name to behold, regardless of our
statuses in life. Her life trajectory testifies that hardship are indeed the elements that make a
person stronger and fiercer to face life at its toughest.
Millions of the Filipinos take pride of her rise to stardom through candid gestures of
supports and compliments beyond words can tell. Obviously, she has been honored and given a
hero’s welcome by Filipino people being an image of strength of the country, and needless to
say the legendary sports icon.
But more than just celebration of the huge success, let us recount the stories behind
everything to unravel the secret and take the glimpse of the entirety of her triumph. Diaz is the
fulfilment of God’s promise as she allowed Him to rule her life despite the countless setbacks
she has gone through.
Like many others, she has lived a totally rugged life in her humble roots in the province.
Diaz used to have a training while lifting pails of water carried from the source to her residence.
Moreover, she used improvised household stuffs to lift, thus adding more strength and stamina
for herself to lift objects.

Pushing her way to the craft she loves most, she left her home and pursued her
education in Manila in the filed of sports. There, it started everything until she ended up to
what she is today- a humble achiever in sports and a true winner in life.
 The inspiration that this name Hidilyn is simply boundless for every tenacious Filipino.
Not because she got the gold and became famous worldwide, but because of the kind of impact
she has made to the entire community of dreamers and hopefuls.

Furthermore, this proves once again that dreaming big and hard with prayer and the
readiness to embrace the hard facets of life pays more. It is not simply dreaming and take life
lightly, but something that is going beyond the comfort zone.

How many of us can endure holding our dreams and do the right process till the
harvesting season? Can we bear the pain and grief entail to us while working hard for our
dreams? How about when storms may come and we are battered by the waves of unbearable
tests of time?

We may not have the same path to cross, but certainly we both have the same
experience in going through life’s battle. Our simple everyday trial and how we cope with our
struggles can be likened to her way of treating these elements. Meeting both ends without
giving up specially during crisis is tantamount to winning. We may never get a medal from this
simple achievement, but the fact that we create a difference to our predicaments is all that
matters.

Even we are how hopeless at this point in time due to various circumstances, let the
“Diaz” in us ignite its fire and spirit to keep fighting while we can. We may have different paces
and pauses, but as long as we will never quit, surely we will reach greater heights of our hopes
and dreams.

It is very timely at this point in time where are facing the challenges, the COVID-19
pandemic that we must keep in us the spirit of being a resilient fighter. We should never stop
chasing our dreams, for there will always come a time for us to reap what we sow.

Lastly, like Hidilyn, we should believe in our skills endowed by God and keep nurturing it
with proper discipline. And if we are tested by some negative forces around us, may the weight
of our determination still carry us through until the day we celebrate success and achievement.

Sail on Hidilyn Diaz. May your qualities inspire more people to venture life and face its
harms till the finishing line!