Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate Sports Committee has congratulated weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the first Filipino in history to clinch an Olympic gold medal, as she successfully defended her women’s 55-kilogram (kg) weightlifting crown at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam
“Congratulations kay Hidilyn sa kanyang matagumpay na pagdepensa sa kanyang korona sa Hanoi SEA Games (Congratulations to Hidilyn for successfully defending her crown at the Hanoi SEA Games),” Go said.
“Ang tagumpay mo ay tagumpay ng ating bansang Pilipinas. Mabuhay ka, Hidilyn! (Your success is the success of our country, the Philippines. Long live Hidilyn!),” he added.
Hidilyn sent a video message to the senator, saying, “Thank you so much sa suporta na binigay ninyo sa sports (Thank you so much for the support you have given to sports). See you soon!”
The Filipina Olympian lifted a total of 206 kg during the event, with 92 kg in the snatch and 114 kg in the clean and jerk. This is Hidilyn’s second gold in the SEA Games after clinching the first one in 2019.
Meanwhile, the senator also wished Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial good luck as the latter is set to battle for the gold medal in the middleweight boxing event this coming Sunday.
“Ako naman po ay tiwalang kakayanin niyang manalo at makuha ang gintong medalya para sa ating bayan. Dito lang po kami, full support po kami sa lahat ng ating mga atleta (I am confident that he will win and gets the gold medal for our country. We are here to fully support all our athletes),” he added.
Marcial clinched a place for the middleweight gold medal match following a dominant victory against his Thai opponent last Thursday. He will face Timor Leste’s Delio Anzaqeci Raksat for the gold medal.
He bagged the bronze medal in the men’s middleweight boxing division in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In a video message to Go, Marcial thanked the senator from Davao for his support to Filipino athletes, saying, “Maraming salamat sa pagsuporta sa aming mga atleta (Thank you so much for supporting us athletes). God bless, sir!”
In an interview following the groundbreaking ceremony of the four-story hospital building and monitoring visit of the Malasakit Center at the Valenzuela Medical Center, Go expressed his full support to the Filipino athletes competing in Hanoi.
“Ako naman bilang Committee Chair sa Sports, alam niyo naman parati kong isinusulong, ako po nakikipaglaban para sa kanila, sa budget nila na dadagdagan po ‘yung pondo kada taon at ipalalaban ko po ang ating mga atleta (As chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, I have always and f for them, for the additional fund for their annual budget. I will fight for the welfare of our athletes),” he said.
Finally, Go told reporters that he would try to seek for more incentives for Filipino athletes who have bagged medals for the country in order to further motivate them to train and work hard.
As of May 20, 6 p.m., the Philippines has garnered 188 medals -- 43 golds, 59 silvers, and 86 bronzes.