By MARK MONTEJO
Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo has achieved another milestone — her next best since her golden feat in the Tokyo Olympics.
The Filipina weightlifting queen shared on Saturday, July 22, that she — after 16 years — finally earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Management at De La Salle – College of St. Benilde.
Diaz turned emotional during her graduation rites, looking back at all the hardships she went through while juggling her studies and training for weightlifting competitions
“Nakakaiyak din pala. Not an ordinary day. Inabot din ng 16 years, nagshift ng courses, nagtransfer ng school, nagLOA dahil ang hirap pagsabayin ang pagwe-weightlifting at pag-aaral.” Diaz said on her Facebook post.
Now a degree holder and the country’s only gold medalist, Diaz admitted it was a scene she could only imagine in her dreams — especially now, that she’s also in the middle of another bid for the Olympics in Paris.
“Dreaming of graduating from college and earning a degree while preparing for the Olympics. Hindi ko akalain na magagawa ko, after sleepless nights and tiring days from training while attending school at De La Salle – College of St. Benilde. Posible pala,” she added.
She also encouraged her fellow student-athletes to push through with their studies despite the challenges in life.
“Kung nakaya ko, kaya ng mga student-athletes, at mga bata at sa lahat na gusto makapagtapos, age doesn’t matter, mahirap pero super worth it.” she added.
“I never imagined reaching this point. But here I stand.”
