Filipino weightlifter broke down and said she planned to 'eat a lot' after winning her country's first Olympic gold medal ever

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Filipino weightlifter broke down and said she planned to 'eat a lot' after winning her country's first Olympic gold medal ever
Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images
  • Hidilyn Diaz won the women's 55kg to take home the first Olympic gold medal in Philippines' history.
  • Afterward, Diaz said she planned to "eat a lot" after years of training.
  • Diaz has been training in Malaysia and hasn't seen her family in 2 years because of COVID.
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A big celebration was in order at Tokyo 2020 for Hidilyn Diaz after winning the first Olympic gold medal in the Philippines' history.

Diaz won the women's weightlifting 55 kg at the Tokyo Olympics, setting an Olympic record with a clean and jerk of 124 kg and then lifting 127 kg.

Upon dropping the weight, Diaz immediately broke down into tears as she won gold.

Filipino weightlifter broke down and said she planned to 'eat a lot' after winning her country's first Olympic gold medal ever
Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images

Diaz told reporters that she planned to "eat a lot" and enjoy the company of her team.

"Yes, I will eat a lot tonight," Diaz said, according to Yahoo's Daniel Hicks.

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"I mean, I've been sacrificing my food, and this is the time to celebrate together with the people who are behind me. So I'm really thankful I can eat now, yes."

She reportedly planned to have cheesecake and bubble tea.

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Diaz won silver at the Rio Olympics, ending a 20-year medal drought for the Philippines for any medal. She then set her sights on gold with ambitious training, according to Hicks.

After hiring new coaches, Diaz moved to Malaysia to train. Shortly after moving, however, COVID-19 lockdowns went into effect, and she has not seen her family since 2019.

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According to Hicks, without access to gyms and some equipment, "Team HD," as Diaz calls it, was stuck in an apartment in Malaysia, lifting weights with extra caution to avoid cracking the tile floors with the apartment.

In her spare time, she raised money online to distribute food packages to struggling families in the Philippines during the lockdowns.

On Monday, Diaz once again grew emotional as the Philippines national anthem was played for the first time.

Filipino weightlifter broke down and said she planned to 'eat a lot' after winning her country's first Olympic gold medal ever
Luca Bruno/AP Images

Diaz was also in the Philippines Air Force. She saluted during the medal ceremony.

Filipino weightlifter broke down and said she planned to 'eat a lot' after winning her country's first Olympic gold medal ever
Luca Bruno/AP Images

"I'm really thankful I can go home now and celebrate with my family and the people who support me," Diaz told reporters.

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