How Philippines' first Olympic gold medalist trained at a kampung in Malacca

Hidilyn Diaz clinched her country Philippines its first-ever Olympic gold medal yesterday, after defeating every other contestant in the women’s 55kg category for weightlifting at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

As she dropped down the final 127kg barbell, Diaz (above) held her hands to her face, let out a huge scream, and burst into tears before embracing her coach who came running up the stage to her.

Before that historic triumph, Diaz held a media interview and thanked the Japanese hosts, her team, her country, and another group of people - Malaysians.

“I’m really thankful to the host...