By
Dominic I. Sanchez
ZAMBOANGA
CITY – At the young age of 9, Hidilyn was already lifting
weights. The weights she carried were
firewood and she was doing this in their backyard back home in Barangay
Mampang, Zamboanga City.
The
fourth of five siblings, Hidilyn had been observing two of her cousins who are
trained weightlifters and seemed to be inspired to try the sport out. She
progressed from lifting firewood to “barra” (a heavy tool used to dig holes in
the soil), and eventually lifted plates – the ones used by Catalino and Allen,
her cousins. Catalino eventually became her coach. Little by little, Hidilyn
was able to lift more than 15 kilos.
Emelita,
Hidilyn’s mother at first was not convinced in sending Hidilyn to be a
weightlifter, and would have preferred for her to finish college. “Hidilyn is a
good girl, she helps me with the chores, but she seems to enjoy practicing
weightlifting with her cousins even when she was still small.”
Hidilyn
had only two years of college education, taking up Computer Science at Universidad de Zamboanga.
“I
asked her why she decided to stop (school), and it was clear that she was very
dedicated to be an athlete,” Emelita said.
The little
weight-lifter
Emelita
remembers Hidilyn’s first win. “It was in Palawan, I remember, in a competition
called ‘Batang Pinoy’,” Emelita recounted. “That was the start. It was her
first gold medal.”
Since
then, Emelita said Hidilyn never went home empty-handed. She had been joining
competitions locally and internationally, including the 2008 Summer Olympics as
the youngest competitor in the women’s 58 kg category, and the 2007 SEA Games
in Thailand, where she won the bronze medal at 16 years old.
She
would train rigorously even in her pre-teen years. “She always finds time to
practice,” Emelita said. “The gym is far from our home, but she would find a
way to hitch a ride to get there, since we did not have pamasahe for her.”
According
to Emelita, Hidilyn’s determination to succeed in the sport was very evident
even in her early years.
Mommy’s silver
birthday gift
“At
around 2 in the morning Monday (August 8), we were already up. I lighted some
candles at the altar and prayed the rosary for Hidilyn,” shares Emelita. “In
the middle of the rosary, our relatives exclaimed that Hidilyn got the bronze.
Right then, I was already overjoyed.”
Shortly
after, the same relatives announced that Hidilyn actually got the silver medal for
the women’s 53-kg weightlifting category in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. “We
never got to finish the rosary, but we really thanked and praised God for the
glory.”
Hidilyn
won the silver medal on August 8, which is coincidentally Emelita’s birthday.
“It
is indeed a victory not only for us, but for our country,” Emelita exclaimed.
A millionaire in the
family
Hidilyn
is ensured with at least Php5-million for her win from the Philippine
Government, to include scholarship entitlement and retirement benefits. The
local government of Zamboanga City will also be providing a Php500,000
incentive for her. Numerous other rewards await the Zamboangueña Olympian upon
her return.
Emelita
and family members are still clueless to the benefits Hidilyn will receive, and
how she will spend it. “It’s all up to her,” she said. Emelita remembers
Hidilyn’s interest to go back to school and enjoy the benefits of the
scholarship, although there are no details as to which university is provided.
Hidilyn
has been supporting her cousins’ education with her earnings from the
competitions. Her father is a tricycle driver.
A hero’s welcome
Hidilyn
is expected to arrive in Manila on August 11 and will meet with President
Rodrigo Duterte, who is also a Mindanaoan in Malacañang. She will be arriving
in Zamboanga City on August 14.
She is the first
athlete in 20 years to be able to reap a medal in the Olympics, after Onyok
Velasco’s silver win in the light flyweight boxing competition in the 1996
Atlanta Summer Olympics.
