Diaz: Winning is not everything

For Hidilyn Diaz, things happen for a reason.

In a lengthy social media post, the 33-year-old Diaz said she has not regrets despite failing to punch a ticket to the Paris Olympics following a botched performance in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand last week.

Diaz said “winning is not everything” and there’s a better reason why a young gun in Elreen Ando made the cut for the Summer Games in the French capital starting 26 July.

“Winning is not everything. It is being on the platform and taking on the challenges that inspire other athletes. Thank you to the athletes who messaged me and said I inspired them,” Diaz said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“I served and will continue to serve my purpose in weightlifting, as I inspire many athletes to dream high, take the challenge, and work hard to achieve their dreams and never give up. Just LIFT! You can do it.”

Diaz has been training non-stop since she was 13 years old. She was just 16 when she competed in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, paving the way to see action in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Since then, she emerged as one of the country’s elite athletes as she campaigned in the next three editions of the Summer Games in London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, where she captured the country’s first ever Olympic gold.

But after fading in the Olympic qualifiers, Diaz realized that there’s more to the Olympics.

“The Olympics and weightlifting are not my everything. I sacrificed a lot of my time to train and sometimes I forget to enjoy the process because I am caught with the high expectations and high pressure of being an elite athlete,” Diaz said.

“This moment is for me to learn new skills — join classes and workshops to learn to cook and bake. I have long wanted to take culinary courses since I was 22 years old, and now, I will not just imagine doing pasta, pizza and kare-kare, I will bake and cook some for my friends and family.”

Diaz has nothing more to prove.

Aside from four Olympic stints, she also conquered the 2015 Asian Weightlifting Championship, the SEA Games, the World Weightlifting Championship and the Asian Games.

Now, she is setting her sights on raising a family with her husband and trainer, Julius Naranjo while reconnecting with people dear to her and helping develop future champions.

“This is family time, I will be spending time with my family, Ninongs and Ninangs, and my friends. Together, we’ll make memories and enjoy the time with them,” Diaz said.