Duterte on Hidilyn Diaz’s Asian Games gold: ‘Wow!’ 

President Rodrigo Duterte was elated over the win of Filipino Olympian Hidilyn Diaz who bagged the Philippines’ first gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“I’d like to make an announcement. In Jakarta, we won the first gold medal, weight lifting, yung nanalo ng… Kung may panahon lang sana ako (If only I have time),” Duterte said after his speech during the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Visayas Island Cluster Conference in Cebu City on Tuesday.

“Hidilyn Diaz, ito yung sundalo. Sundalo ito ng Philippine Army (This is a soldier, a soldier of the Philippine Army). Wow! That’s the message,” he added.

[Diaz is actually a member of the Philippine Air Force and not of the Philippine Army.]

Diaz, a silver medalist in the Rio Olympics in 2106, won the women’s weightlifting 53-kg event held at the Jakarta International Expo Hall A. /ee

READ: Hidilyn Diaz wins Philippines’ first gold medal in 2018 Asian Games