Philippine weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz
Credit: © Yang Lei, Xinhua/Alamy Images

Hidilyn Diaz made history this week in Tokyo. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, she became the first Filipino ever to win an Olympic gold medal. Diaz is a Philippine Air Force officer and weightlifter. She won in the 55-kilogram weightlifting category.

Hidilyn Francisco Diaz was born on Feb. 20, 1991, in Zamboanga, in the southern Philippines. She was the second youngest of six siblings. She began weightlifting with her brothers and cousins when she was 11 years old. The family fashioned weights out of concrete before receiving donated barbells. As a 17-year-old, Diaz was recruited to compete for the national team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Diaz joined the Philippine Air Force in 2013.

Diaz won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after coming back from an injury. At the 2020 Olympics, she lifted 97 kilograms in the snatch and 127 kilograms in the clean and jerk event. Her combined score of 224 kilograms broke the Olympic record.