History-making weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz has already laid the blueprint for winning an Olympic gold medal.

It is now up to top sports and government officials whether they will continue to utilize it for the future.

Diaz highlighted the need to support and surround Filipino athletes with the best people if the country wants to follow up her breakthrough triumph in the Tokyo Games with more gold medals.

“I want to tell everybody, not just the government, that we should not focus only on the outcome,” Diaz told TV Patrol in Filipino.

“We should look at how the athletes prepare, what the athletes need, and which people the athletes need.”

Diaz is a prime example that winning an Olympic gold is a collective work.

Moments after ending the Philippines’ gold-medal drought, Diaz recognized the pivotal role her crew – aptly called Team HD – played throughout her Olympic stint.

Team HD is composed of head coach Gao Kaiwen, strength and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo, sports nutritionist Jeaneth Aro, and psychologist Karen Trinidad.

While it was Diaz who ultimately lifted an Olympic record of 224kg in the women’s 55kg division, it was Team HD who helped her stay in top shape – physically, emotionally, and mentally – for Tokyo.

Stranded in Malaysia at the start of the pandemic, Diaz survived a yearlong preparation for the Olympics with Team HD by her side.

“It takes a lot of people to win a gold medal in the Olympics,” Diaz told ANC Headstart. “It is a lesson for me, the government, for all Filipinos.”

At one point forced to ask for financial support for her Tokyo bid, Diaz has become an instant multi-millionaire thanks to cash incentives from the government and private sponsors.

Diaz is set for a cash windfall of nearly P50 million on top of two house and lots, a condominium unit, and free lifetime flights. – Rappler.com