Diaz was alumni of the UZ-Technical High School and was part of the UZ Wildcats’ Weightlifting Team.

She, however, dropped out of UZ in her 3rd year in college and pursued her career as a weightlifting athlete.

“Universidad De Zamboanga proudly congratulates our very own Hidilyn F. Diaz for winning the Philippines’ first gold medal in the weightlifting 55kg Women category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” UZ said on Facebook.

“Indeed, your historic feat has become a true example of UZ’s Vision to nurture socially responsible transformational leaders, serving as an inspiration in the country’s sports arena. Wildcat, UZ is proud of you!” it added.

Diaz bagged the gold after besting competitors from China and Uzbekistan in the Women’s 55kg weightlifting event.

She also set an Olympic record with 224kg in total, besting Quiyun Liao of China who was 1kg short.

Diaz’s most notable achievement throughout her career, before winning in the Olympics, is winning silver in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics in Brazil in the 53kg category.