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Hidilyn Diaz pays tribute to her coaches after historic gold in Tokyo
Hidilyn Diaz paid tribute to her coaches, veteran weightlifting coach Gao Kaiwen and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo, after her historic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
On Instagram, Wednesday, Diaz penned a short message expressing her gratitude to her mentors, who were beside her every step of her journey to Tokyo.
"Gusto ko lang pag salamat silang dalawa ni Coach Gao at Coach @imjulius, sila ang naging pamilya ko nun last 19 months sa Malaysia," Diaz said. "Nakaya ko dahil nandun sila, di nila ako iniwan."
("I just want to thank these two: Coach Gao and Coach Julius, they were my family during the 19 months I was in Malaysia. I made it because they were there. They never left me.")
Diaz said despite their language barriers, with Gao being Chinese and Naranjo being from Guam, they were able to stick to their main goal.
"Minsan di nagkaintindihan pero mas pinili namin maghanap ng paraan, mag-usap at pag-usapan ang dapat pag-usapan, at bumalik kame sa why ng #TeamHD ito ay manalo ng gold medal para sa Pilipinas," she said.
("Sometimes we did not understand each other, but we chose to find ways, talk, and remember why Team HD is together, and that is to win the gold medal for the Philippines.")
She also thanked them for playing multiple roles during their stay in Malaysia: from being coaches, to masseurs, to chefs, and even translators.
Diaz previously said that one of her keys to success was surrounding herself with people who would help her.
Aside from Gao and Naranjo, Team HD also include nutritionist Jeaneth Aro and sports psychologist Dr. Karen Trinidad.
Diaz became the first Olympic gold medalist of the Philippines after ruling the women's weightlifting 55-kg event last week.
—Justin Kenneth Carandang/MGP, GMA News
