The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has turned over new weightlifting equipment to the Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Gym in Zamboanga City as part of its support for grassroots athletes.
Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo said she is glad the gym, which she established in 2017 after earning the silver medal in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, is getting an upgrade.
‘I’m happy to see so many young people trying out weightlifting and dreaming of becoming medalists,’ Diaz-Naranjo said.
Asian Youth Games medalists Alexsandra Ann Diaz and Jhodie Peralta headed 21 young weightlifters present at the turnover ceremony which was also attended by coaches Allen Jayfrus Diaz and Emelita Diaz, and representatives from PSC Commissioner Matthew Gaston’s office, Assistance and Coordination Division OIC Anna Ruiz and Engineer LJ Bujawe.
‘This is about building dreams,’ PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio said. ‘By equipping the home of our local weightlifting community, we are laying the foundation for the next generation of Olympic icons.’
The project is a joint effort of the PSC and the Department of Education as part of the government’s push to expand sports development programs across the country.