The country has been in celebration since the evening of July 26, 2021, when Hidilyn Diaz made history and earned the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medal in 97 years. The Philippines first joined the Olympics in 1924 in Paris, France, the first Southeast Asian country to compete in the prestigious Games.
Diaz bagged the gold medal in the women’s 121-pound weightlifting competition.
But it’s not just the congratulations that are raining on Diaz right now. There’s been an incredible outpour of support from private sectors as well, awarding her left and right with generous gifts that the 30-year-old undoubtedly deserves. One of the latest is by Philippine oil company Phoenix, which has announced that they will be awarding Diaz with P5 Million in cash and free fuel for life.
Image: Phoenix Petroleum
Atty. Raymond Zorrilla, Senior Vice President of Phoenix Petroleum, shared, “I think many of us felt so much pride and joy seeing our flag being raised, and our National Anthem being played, while honoring the historic win of Hidilyn Diaz. It’s all the more special for us because she is a Phoenix-athlete whose tough journey has finally given our country its first Olympic gold medal.”
Phoenix has always been an active supporter of Philippine sports. The company has its own team in the PBA, and established Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation in 2018, an initiative dedicated to supporting Filipino athletes. Phoenix has always shown its support to Diaz. In 2019, the company granted the weightlifter a sponsorship of P2 million to help her in her race to bag an Olympic medal.
Zorilla further shared, “From fueling the dream, we now hope to fuel inspiration with this sponsorship. Our hope is that this is only the beginning of a golden era for Philippine sports and that more entities from all sectors extend support so we can have more golds in the future.”
Congratulations, Hidilyn!
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