Hidilyn Diaz's husband-coach upbeat on future of Philippine weightlifting

MANILA, Philippines -- The victories of Filipino youngsters in the recently concluded Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in India showed that the future of weightlifting in the Philippines is bright.

On the sidelines of the All Out Games at the Filinvest Tent in Muntinlupa City Saturday, Hidilyn Diaz’s coach, Julius Naranjo, said that now is “a very good time for weightlifting” in the Philippines.

“The president of the [International Weightlifting Federation] even said that at first, it was just Hidilyn that was winning [in weightlifting]. But now, we have new athletes coming in and getting medals,” Naranjo told Philstar.com.

“I never heard the Philippine anthem played so much, and I never felt so much pride until I was in that competition to hear for myself,” he added.

Naranjo was coaching Philippines’ Rosegie Ramos in the event.

The Philippines snagged 19 gold medals in the competition.

Naranjo said that the Philippines’ haul in the event is a “good confidence booster” heading toward the world championships.

The event also shows that the grassroots advocacy of the Naranjo couple in the Philippines through the HD Weightlifting Academy is “working.”

“To see all the Team Philippines stand on the podium, whether they are first or second, you know it does not matter. It was very monumental, because it shows that the grassroots is working,” he said.

“Hopefully, we can spread more with our advocacies,” he added.

Naranjo also gave some words of advice to young Filipinos who are looking to go into weightlifting.

“If you want to succeed in the sport, you have to love it. You have to love what you’re doing, you have to have the right motivation for it, why you’re doing this, why do you love what you do. I think you’ll find success. It will not happen right away,” he stated.

“It takes time. It took 97 years for the Philippines to win its first Olympic gold medal. It took Hidilyn 21 years to win a gold medal in the olympics. It takes time, but kayang kaya mo iyan,” he added.

The HD Weightlifting Academy is handling some 20 athletes, with some as young as eight years old.

Naranjo bared they had to set a cap in the number of athletes they are handling, but they may lift such cap after next year’s Batang Pinoy, if they can secure a bigger gym.

“But we are raising funds right now, to try and build a better gym so we can accommodate more kids,” he said.

The All Out Games, a functional fitness tilt, contacted the HD weightlifting academy to say that part of the proceeds from the competition will be given to them.

“Coach [Paulo Gonzales, the games director,] reached out to us and gave us the surprising news. He said he will be supporting the HD weightlifting academy. We are really appreciative for someone to see value and to believe in the academy,” the Olympic coach said.

“Not only are we pushing to bring these kids and give these kids the opportunities, we ourselves are trying to get into the Paris Olympics, so [the funding] is a big help for us to be able to get this support and show that people actually believe in our advocacy,” he added.