Ni ANN ENCARNACION
HINDI pa tapos ang pamahalaan sa pagbibigay ng mga insentibo sa kauna-unahang Pilipinong Olympic gold medalist na si weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz.
Maliban sa P3 milyon mula kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, pagkakalooban din si Diaz ng Presidential Medal of Merit, na unang iginawad sa isang atleta–kay bowler Paeng Nepomuceno noong 1984.
Si Diaz naman ang unang atleta na pagkakalooban ng Congressional Medal of Excellence ng House of Representatives, at Olympic Gold Medal of Valor mula naman sa Philippine Sports Commission.
Samantala, kinumpirma ni Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) president Monico Puentevella na nagbitiw na ang personal coach ng Pinay ‘weightlifting fairy’ na si Chinese Gao Kaiwen.
“Chinese weightlifting coach Gao Kaiwen, who reshaped Hidilyn Diaz into an Olympic gold medalist, has asked for his contract to be terminated so he can go home to China and see his family,” sabi ng SWP chief.
“By next month, the coach will already leave for China. He has asked that his contract be ended. He will just take his salary for the last month and then leave for China,” dagdag ni Puentevella.
Naunang isiniwalat ni Diaz na nagalit kay Coach Gao ang kapwa nito Chinese coaches nang talunin ng Pinay ang world record holder sa snatch, clean and jerk at overall lift sa 55kg na si Quiyun Liao.
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