Philippines' Hidilyn Diaz reacts after placing first in the women's 55kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo International Forum in Tokyo on July 26, 2021. AFP PHOTO
WITH their eyes glued to a television in the southern Philippines, the family of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz yelled "push, push, push!" as she hoisted the bar to win the country's first Olympic gold medal.
"Then we erupted in joy - we were shouting, some shed tears of joy," Emelita Diaz told Agence France-Presse Tuesday, a day after watching her daughter's historic performance in Tokyo - far from her hometown of Zamboanga.