ILOCOS NORTE, Philippines – Weightlifting excellence clearly runs in the Diaz blood.
Matthew Diaz, the nephew of Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz, clinched the first gold medal in weightlifting, which returns as a demo sport in this year’s Palarong Pambansa after four decades.
The 14-year-old weightlifter from Rizal emerged victorious in the secondary boys’ 48kg category, bringing pride to Calabarzon on Monday, May 26, in Ilocos Norte.
“Masaya po (Happy),” Matthew answered briefly when asked how he was feeling about his win.
Matthew couldn’t remember exactly when he began weightlifting. He simply grew up around it — seeing aunt Hidilyn make history as the first Filipino to win an Olympic gold back in 2021 in Tokyo, as well as being surrounded by many other family members who are also into the sport.
According to his coach Zaldy Mallari, Matthew would train with Hidilyn, and it was only several months ago that Mallari took him under his wing.
In that relatively short span of time, the coach would quickly bear witness to Matthew’s weightlifting prowess, attesting that the young teen often knew what to do.
“Sa training, actually, alam na alam niya ‘yung gagawin. Sa akin, more on pagpapalakas na lang ng loob ‘yung tinuturo ko sa kanya. More on mental toughness,” Mallari told Rappler.
(During training, actually, he already knows what to do. On my end, I teach him how to be tough. More on mental toughness.)
Matthew would dedicate most of his nights after school to practice, spending nearly five hours each day attempting to perfect his craft, and only taking days off on Sundays.
“Sobrang okay po dahil may nagpupush po sa akin para magkaroon po ako ng lakas (It’s really good because there are people who push me to have strength),” Matthew said, describing his training leading up to the Palaro.
“Kumbaga ‘yung hirap at pagod namin na inaabot kami ng gabi para magawa ‘yung training, sa pagkapanalo niya, sobrang saya ko. ‘Yung pagod namin is worth it talaga,” shared Mallari.
(The difficulties and exhaustion we faced from training until late at night paid off because of his win. I’m so happy. The exhaustion was worth it.)
With still many sporting years ahead of him, Matthew strives to reach his ultimate goal: making it to the Olympics.
“Sana po, kahit hindi na po makamedal, basta makalaro lang po sa Olympics,” he told Rappler.
(Hopefully, even if I don’t win a medal, I’ll get to compete in the Olympics.)
Matthew successfully cleared his attempts, tallying 73kg in snatch and 93kg in the clean and Jerk.
Weightlifting was reintroduced as a demo sport in Palarong Pambansa 2025 after four decades as Hidilyn persistently lobbied for its inclusion. She hopes the sport will soon be part of the regular events in Palaro.
As a demo event, the medals won in this sport will not count towards the regions’ overall medal tally. – Rappler.com