Hidilyn to wed coach Julius on 1st anniversary of Olympic gold win

MANILA, Philippines — Olympic champ Hidilyn Diaz is set to marry Coach Julius Naranjo on July 26, the first anniversary of her historic gold win at the Tokyo Olympics.

The wedding will take place at the St. Ignatius Chapel of the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City, with reception at the Baguio Country Club.

“The 26th is literally one year after we did the unthinkable. It’s sentimental, it’s meaningful, it’s something that will be forever remembered,” said Julius.

“It makes me proud to be Filipino knowing we achieved something that’s great. And I want to celebrate that with the union of Hidilyn and I.”

“It made sense and para din ‘di ko talaga makalimutan. July 26 is historical and memorable sa Pilipinas, sa Pilipino at sa amin,” Hidilyn said during the Zoom interview aired on Noel Ferrer’s Level Up online show. Noel is Hidilyn’s manager.

Based on the invite copy furnished to The STAR, principal sponsors come from the worlds of politics, business, sports and showbiz, namely, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, former Vice President Leni Robredo, business moguls Manny V. Pangilinan, Ramon S. Ang, Teresita Sy-Coson, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, beauty doctor Vicki Belo, and celebrity couple Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo. Actresses Angel Locsin and Iza Calzado are matron of honor and bridesmaid, respectively. Atom Araullo is one of the groomsmen. Theme is classic Filipino with the bride and groom to be dressed in Francis Libiran designs.

The future husband and wife first met at an international weightlifting competition in 2017.

Coach Julius proposed marriage to Hidilyn October of last year with a custom-made, barbell-inspired ring he helped design. It was a proposal that was planned before the Olympics.

Noel admitted that he at first suggested to Julius to ask for Hidilyn’s hand in marriage in the event that she would lose at the Olympics so she was a winner in love.

Hidilyn went on to win the historic gold and coach Julius proposed some months after victory “because for me, I don’t want to take the spotlight from her. She deserves it. I’m just there to support her. It was time and it felt right and it was something that I thought would be adding to the win. Because it’s a win for us both.”

He added, “That’s why I made it a point to choose the right time, to plan it out well. Of course, it wasn’t as spectacular as the gold but it was a gold for her heart, that’s the most important thing.”

Hidilyn, on the other hand, described it as “perfect timing.”

“He is worth it. Maraming checklist eh (to determine that he’s the one). One, mabait siya. Kasi mahirap maghanap ng lalake na maintindihan ako sa sobrang busy ng buhay ko, sobrang ambisyosa ko na ang dami kong gustong gawin, like gusto ko mag-gold sa Olympics,” said Hidilyn.

“Sabi ng Nanay ko, swerte ka nga may Julius na nagmamahal sa ‘yo kasi nga mahirap daw ako mahalin kasi siempre masyado akong focused. Iba yung atletang masyadong focus sa ginagawa. Minsan nga sabi nila parang wala akong pakialam sa iba basta focus lang ako. Good thing, may Julius na nakakaintindi sa akin. And the plus point there, he is also a coach na pinu-push ako to reach my goal.”

“And he knows who is right, always right,” she joked.

“And he knows that I’m medyo religious, and he understands me on that aspect,” she further said.

One of the turning points of their relationship was when Julius told her that “God is the center of our relationship.”

“That was before my game at the Olympics. He said, ‘God is the center of our relationship.’ Tapos umiiyak na ako,” recalled Hidilyn.

As preparation, they’ve been going through marriage counseling.

Julius said of what he learned so far, “I think there has to be more patience. I am impatient kasi. Be more patient and understanding and you know, the wife is always right. You know, happy wife, happy life (laughs).”

As for Hidilyn, “Lahat ng mga ninong and ninang, tinatanong namin ng advice about marriage, about being a couple. In our marriage counseling, I learned, we learned… kasi siempre parang competition kami minsan. Sa training, before Olympics, ‘Oh you can lift that, I (can) lift this.’ It’s not the case now. We’re kakampi. We’re in this together.

“It made realize that iba pala pagkasal ka na. Hindi lang pala ikaw mag-isa kasi minsan nagso-solo ako. Ngayon, kami na dalawa… Ito ang pakakasalan ko, kailangan tanggapin ko siya kung ano siya. (This is the person that I’m going to marry so I have to accept him for who he is.)

“There has to be compromise because we’re getting married and going to be one not just on paper, but in life as well. It’s not going to be easy but, at least, we know that’s how it’s going to be once we get married.”