Amid overcast skies and a slight drizzle, Zamboanga Olympians Hidilyn Diaz and Eumir Marcial arrived to a Heroes’ Welcome yesterday afternoon in Zamboanga City, their first trip to their hometown after their successful stint in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Diaz and Marcial were greeted by a welcome reception at the Edwin Andrews Airbase.
Wearing their Philippine Air Force uniforms, Diaz and Marcial boarded their respective floats for a motorcade parade to the RT Lim Boulevard for the unveiling of their commemorative markers.
The motorcade then proceeded to the Zamboanga City Hall where
Zamboanga mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar led the city in honoring the champions in a short program.
The program also included the turnover of the local government’s cash incentives for the two athletes and coaches.
Diaz received P2.5-million as incentive for her victory, a gold medal for weightlifting in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Meanwhile, the amount of P1-million was given to Marcial for winning the bronze in the middleweight boxing division of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and P200,000 for his performance in the Asian Boxing Confederation in Dubai, United Emirates in May this year.