Hidilyn Diaz exclusive on bullies, body issues, inspiration, Olympic gold, and Paris 2024

Hidilyn Diaz has heard it all.

The Filipina weightlifter might be a national icon now after claiming the country's first ever Olympic gold at the Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021, but for years she suffered from bullying which caused body issues and low self-esteem.

"To the people that looked down on me, saying that I cannot do well in weightlifting, or 'why you do weightlifting?'... I just want to say 'thank you,' because you gave me the motivation to do well, and to represent women in sports," she told Olympics.com in Hanoi, Vietnam, where she won a second straight South East Asian (SEA) Games gold medal.

Read on to find out how Olympic gold has changed her life and what plans she has for the future.

How the haters helped inspire Diaz's success

"I had a lot of bullying when I was a kid because I do weightlifting," Hidilyn Diaz shared with us.

"They kept telling me, 'no-one will like you... you won't get pregnant, your muscles will get so big so you won't look attractive...'

"My mom also said 'why you do weightlifting, it's a man's sport.'

"Then when I was growing up I got insecure with my body, with myself, because I'm doing this sport, I get so big, no-one will like me, so I always hide myself."

Now she's Olympic champion there's no more hiding, they call her 'Queen Hidilyn' in the Filipino press, and she's engaged to the man she loves.

Those negative words were turned into a positive by the inspirational athlete, who has become a role model for many females.

"No-one can stop us, because we're human too and sports doesn't have gender, so we can perform, we can do our best," she adds.

Hidilyn Diaz: Mom is proud too!

Another important relationship is now a healing one too.

"Of course my mom is proud and she's praying for me and my whole family," Diaz continues.

"I'm so thankful... my mom has been supportive even when I was young... from the start it was hard, but they're supportive now and most of my cousins and niece and nephew, they're doing weightlifting now too."

Hidilyn Diaz and Julius Naranjo: "He makes my life easy"

Far from the negative things people said when she was growing up, Diaz has found love, with her coach Julius Naranjo.

When she announced their engagement in October 2021 she posted this on Instagram:

“I’m grateful to God that he sent Julius into my life, he makes my life easy.”

They met in 2017 when they were both competing at the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games in 2017 in Turkmenistan. Naranjo was competing for the island of Guam, and the sport brought them together.

"Hidliyn and I have this love and passion for weightlifting," Naranjo tells Olympics.com, "her ability to be a very dedicated athlete and her love for weightlifting is what drives me to her.

"I always give her support and words of encouragement."

Both admit that the partner/coach dynamic can be difficult.

"It's so hard," says Hidilyn, "sometimes we have to put some walls. In training he's my coach and it's so hard for me, but after that he's my fiancé.

"As long as we have the same goals and purpose in life, then even though it's hard and we're fighting sometimes, that's OK... communication is really important."

"He is a good coach," she continues, "good at strategising, good at programming, good in weightlifting, as you see, I can still deliver, and am ready to compete again in Paris 2024.

"I'm so happy that he's my coach and with Team HD behind me I'm so happy that they believe in me."

The Hidilyn Diaz diaries: "Everything changed" after Tokyo gold

So has life changed much since winning Olympic gold?

"Everything changed," she says.

"When I won the silver medal (at Rio 2016) I got shocked, I have a lot of responsibility, then knowing that I thought I can handle it well... I handled it well, but the level of responsibility is different when you won the gold medal.

"It's so hard because I have a lot of engagements, events, commercials, so there's a lot of opportunities given to me.

"Also I'm studying, I'm in the Philippine Air Force so I have a lot hats that I have to wear.

"Gratefully I was able to manage it well with Team HD and my manager, you know, when you win gold everyone thought that it's automatic already that you will win everything or it's automatic you're strong.

"But us as athletes you have to earn it at every competition, we have to train hard and be more disciplined."

Hidilyn Diaz: Inspiration

When Olympics Instagram posted the image above of Diaz, whose journey has taken her to four straight Olympic Games dating back to Beijing 2008, it brought back a lot of memories.

"It's so beautiful... when I saw it I thought, wow, I've been in weightlifting for how many years? I've been in Olympics for how many years! With that picture I saw my failure, I saw my success, and I hope it motivates all the athletes."

It does.

In the Vietnamese capital, Olympics.com also caught up with trailblazing pole-vaulter EJ Obiena, who said this abut his fellow Philippines star:

“Hidi just showed us how tough it is to be an Olympic gold medallist. She knocked down those walls for us, the next generation. And now we truly believe. I mean, it’s been done. So what’s stopping us from doing it again?”

"I feel proud to give inspiration to Filipinos," continues Diaz when she hears these words, she's a motivation and inspiration to others, but what continues to motivate her?

"I stay motivated because I love what I'm doing, I love weightlifting... and because I have goals in my heart, I want to win the gold, because if you don't have goals you'll be like... You'll eat! And wander around and you don't have direction. You need goals and as an athlete I'm really goal oriented."

Diaz inspires others in ways beyond just being the example too. She's built a gym in her hometown in Mampang, Zamboanga, where aspiring Olympians have a place to train and kids can get involved in the sport.

The 'Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Gym' has been open since 2017 and over 50 athletes train there. At the SEA Games 2021 (Held in 2022 because of a Covid-related postponement) there were four Filipino athletes from Mampang, and two of them were on the podium.

Rosegie Ramos joined Diaz on the SEA Games honour roll when she won a bronze medal in the women’s 49-kg class.

"I'm so happy whenever I see kids doing weightlifting and enjoying weightlifting and I feel like I fulfilled the purpose that God gave me and I'm hoping that weightlifting will spread all over the Philippines," Hidilyn says.

Her message to the next generation of lifters is a simple one:

"To all the young girls; join sports, join weightlifting, because in sports you will have more direction, you will dream high, you can be whoever you want to be like 'Ate' (Tagalog for big sister) Hidilyn, you can be strong, be proud of who you are.

"Of course I have to tell you that it's not instantly that you will be champion, you have to work hard, but you can do it girl!"

Hidilyn Diaz: Sights set on Paris 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympics might be a couple of years away, but this Filipina champ is already locked in on her aim of a successful gold medal defence.

“This is the beginning of my journey towards Paris," she said after winning 55kg SEA Games gold in Hanoi.

And while she recorded a 92kg snatch and a 114kg jerk for a total of 206kg - some distance from her 224kg total in Tokyo - she was pleased with the performance.

"I'm happy to be back again and getting ready for Paris 2024, even though I thought I was not that good, my performance not good, I’m happy."

Overcoming Covid and dropping her weight to below 55kg after some Christmas excess, where she says she ate "everything", is a good start on the path to glory in France.

She believes in her team and they believe in her, it's what can take her all the way to the top of the Olympic podium again, she says.

"I think I won the gold at the Olympics and today because of Team HD... you need someone who believes in you, you need also to believe in yourself that you can do it, that you can win the gold medal in the Olympics."

"I will always say this, that I cannot win the gold medal without them."