MANILA, Philippines — For 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, weightlifting is more than a sport.
Growing up surrounded by her male cousins, Diaz used the sport as a way to connect with her relatives. At the young age of 12, she was influenced to take up weightlifting.
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"Nag impluwensiya sa akin mga pinsan kong lalaki, it's the way for me to say na sa weightlifting, belong ako," Diaz said in Tuesday's episode of Tiebreaker Vods' "So She Did".
"It's also my way to say na sa weightlifting, mas malakas ako sa inyo... pwede ko kayong talunin," she added.
But what started as a personal goal of relating to her cousins around her gradually became a passion. It's a passion that she aims to share with her fellow Filipinos.
"Gusto ko pa rin ipush ang weightlifting kasi gusto kong sabihin sa buong Pilipinas na ang weightlifting ay puwede sa ating mga Pilipino," she said.
Despite weightlifting not being a popular event, Diaz believes it's somewhere Filipinos like her can excel even at the sport's biggest stage.
"Puwedeng puwede tayong manalo sa Olympics," she said.
The 29-year-old also hopes her success — and hopefully a gold medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics — will lead to a more established program.
"Sana magkakaroon ng mas magandang programa para sa weightlifting, mas maraming magkainteres sa weightlifiting kasi napakaganda ng weightlifting," she said.