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