Sacrifice, exile in Malaysia: How Filipina Hidilyn Diaz made Olympic history

The daughter of a tricycle driver in a poor village near Zamboanga, Diaz has not seen her family since December 2019. - Reuters

TOKYO (AFP): Triumphant weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz will now forget the years of exile, sacrifice, training and nutrition that took her to the Philippines' first Olympic gold by tucking into her favourite sweet passions, cheesecake and bubble tea.

"Yes I will eat a lot tonight," she smiled as she told AFP of her plans after her final massive 127kg lift eclipsed China's world record holder Liao Qiuyun in the women's 55kg class and gave her country a first gold after 97 years of Olympic competition.