Hidilyn Diaz is an 18 year-old weightlifter from Zamboanga City

Zamboanga City

The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....

, Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. She represented the country in the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 and is also the youngest in the 58 kg. category. Diaz was a bronze medalist in the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 and achieved 10th place at the 2006 Asian Games

2006 Asian Games

The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...

 in the 53-kilogram class. She is a student of Universidad de Zamboanga

Universidad de Zamboanga

Universidad de Zamboanga is a private university in Zamboanga City, Philippines, founded on October 12, 1948 by Arturo Eustaquio, Sr. It was formerly known as Zamboanga A.E. Colleges until it was changed to Universidad de Zamboanga in 2005, the year it was granted university status. UZ holds 25%...

. Recently Diaz won two golds and 1 silver in the Asian Youth/ Junior Weightlifting Championship set in Jeonju

Jeonju

Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

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2008 Summer Olympics

Hidilyn Diaz was selected as a wild card entry to the Summer Olympics by the Philippine Weightlifting Association in early 2008. She is the first female weightlifter to compete for the Philippines in the Olympics, and the second weightlifter overall (the first being her coach, Ramon Solis). Competing in the women's 58 kg class

Weightlifting at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's 58 kg

The women's 58 kg weightlifting event was the third women's event at the weightlifting competition, with competitors limited to a maximum of 58 kilograms of body mass. The whole competition took place on August 11, but was divided in two parts due to the number of competitors. Group B...

, 17 year-old Diaz lifted 85 kg in the snatch

Snatch (weightlifting)

The snatch is one of the two olympic weightlifting events .The essence of the event is to lift a barbell from the platform to locked arms overhead in a smooth continuous movement. The barbell is pulled as high as the lifter can manage at which point the barbell is flipped overhead...

 and 107 kg in the clean and jerk

Clean and jerk

The clean and jerk is one of the two Olympic weightlifting events .The clean portion of the lift refers to the lifter explosively pulling the weight from the floor to a racked position across deltoids and clavicles...

 for a 192 kg total, breaking the Philippine record that she herself set at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games

2007 Southeast Asian Games

The 24th Southeast Asian Games was held in Nakhon Ratchasima , Thailand from December 6 to December 15, 2007....

. Though she placed second to last in a field of 12 weightlifters, her performance was praised and considered promising for her age. Philippine Sports Commission

Philippine Sports Commission

The Philippine Sports Commission was created through Republic Act No. 6847 in 1990 to serve as the "sole policy-making and coordinating body of all amateur sports development programs and institutions in the Philippines"...

 Chairman William Ramirez said "She's here to gain valuable experience", and predicted that she would be a strong contender at future games. She is set to undergo an extensive training program to prepare her for the 2012 Summer Olympics

2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

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