Dear Hidilyn

You gave it your all to qualify for the Paris Olympics but the new weight classification wasn’t fit for you. You competed in the 58 kg division in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics then dropped down to 53 kg to bag silver in 2016 and adjusted to 55 kg to clinch gold in 2021. But when the Olympics scrapped the 55 kg class, you had to move up to 59 kg and it became a battle against Mother Nature.

You were outlifted by another Filipina Elreen Ando in the race for the Paris ticket. Elreen actually followed what you did. In 2021, she was seventh in the 64 kg division as an Olympic rookie then trimmed down to 59 kg for Paris. She’s 25 and you’re 33 but age had nothing to do with what happened in the final qualifiers in Phuket last week. Elreen’s body mass is suited for the 59 kg limit. It was like when you cut back from 58 kg to 53 kg. Your body mass is suited for 53 kg and 55 kg but not for 58 kg. To get you to lift at 59 kg was a serious challenge.

Still, you tried and tried hard to nail that fifth Olympic pass. You would’ve been only the second athlete from the Philippines and the first Filipina to do it. Nothing to say sorry for. You’ll forever be in the record books as the first athlete from the Philippines to claim an Olympic gold medal and that’s something nobody can take away.

You lived life on your terms and didn’t let the fierceness of competition rule you. Despite the rigors of training, you made time to earn your college degree and married the love of your life. You went out there to compete for our country. You won with humility, you lost with graciousness. You battled courageously, no matter the odds. You’re an inspiration as a Filipina role model and achiever. What you’ve accomplished is unprecedented.

You lived your dream of excelling in the sport you love. You held your head high and let the world hear our National Anthem played in the Olympic awarding ceremony. You displayed the heart of a champion and the spirit of a Filipino hero.

You persevered in your sport, sacrificing to calibrate your weight, never complaining how you had to adjust moving from one category to another as changing weight limits set by the international federation wreaked havoc on your body. You played by the rules, you never backed off from daunting odds.

You gave hope and inspiration to those aspiring to be like you by working hard and showing discipline. You’re a living example of an athlete who never compromised principles, standing by the highest values of integrity and sportsmanship. You’re admired for taking steps to groom the next generation, establishing an academy to share your expertise in molding future Olympic gold medalists.

It’s a blessing that in this lifetime, you were on earth to bring pride and honor to our nation, to serve as an inspiration to our countrymen and to show the world that the Philippines is in a lofty class of its own. We thank you, dear Hidilyn, for shining a bright light on our country.