HIDILYN DIAZ-NARANJO will be bestowed the Athlete of the Year award for the second consecutive year during the San Miguel Corp.-Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night on March 6 at the Diamond Hotel in Manila.
Already the best Filipino athlete for winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021, Diaz-Naranjo went for the only title missing from her collection—the world weightlifting championships gold medal which she accomplished last December.
The PSA’s biggest trophy is actually the fourth for Diaz-Naranjo—she also won in 2016 for her silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and her gold medal in Jakarta where she shared the accolade with four others at the 18th Asian Games in 2018.
She also joined a short list of four-time Athlete of the Year awardees—boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire Jr.
“Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo is the unanimous choice as Athlete of the Year for 2022. Her latest triumph is testament to her being a true world-class athlete who continues to be an inspiration to Filipinos since her historic gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics,” said PSA president Rey Lachica, sports editor of Tempo.
The Awards Night is also presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cignal TV with major sponsors Philippine Olympic Committee, Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Milo, Rain or Shine, 1Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero, Philippine Basketball Association, OKBet and the Intenational Container Terminal Services Inc.
A Second Lieutenant at the Philippine Air Force, Diaz-Naranjo kicked off her 2022 campaign by retaining the gold medal in the women’s 55 kgs of weightlifting at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam last May.
Two months later, she entered a new phase of her life by marrying long-time Coach Julius Naranjo in Baguio City.
Following a brief rest, Diaz was back to active competition and conquered the world with her golden feat in Bogota, Colombia.