The House of Representatives has adopted resolutions commending Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz and its very own Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez for bagging three gold medals and a silver medal, respectively, in recent international competitions.
Diaz, the country’s first gold medalist in the Olympics, won three gold medals in the 2022 World Weightlifting Championship women’s 55-kilogram division in Bogota, Colombia recently.
She beat Rosalba Morales of Colombia and Ana Gabriela Lopez of Mexico with a combined lift of 207 kilograms.
The resolution also stated that Diaz’s recent victories, which come on the heels of her gold medal at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, “serves as a momentum builder for the Filipina Olympian as she launches her bid for another gold medal in the 59-kilogram women’s weightlifting event in the 2024 Olympics.”
“The historic victory of sweeping three gold medals in the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships is the latest addition to the Filipino athlete’s remarkable record as the first Filipina to win a World Championships crown,” House Resolution 647 said of Diaz.
The chamber also recognized Gomez, who won a silver medal at the 4th Fédération Internationale de Tiraux Armes Sportives de Chasse Asian Sporting Championship, Senior Division, and finished fourth in the 5th Asian Compak Sporting Championships, both held in Photaram, Thailand, in November.
“For his outstanding performance in bringing honor and pride that put the Philippines at the forefront of the fastest growing shooting sport, and for his exceptional accomplishments that inspire young Filipino athletes to persevere and achieve excellence in their chosen sports, Honorable Gomez deserves utmost commendation,” House Resolution 643 said of Gomez.
The sport has grown in popularity in the Philippines since Gomez, the current president of the Philippine Fencing Association, founded the Sporting Clays Association of the Philippines, which organizes sporting clay contests throughout the country.
The resolutions, whose authors include Speaker Martin Romualdez, was formally adopted on Wednesday night in the plenary.