The chalk on her hand, the red scrunchie holding her hair in a high bun, the ‘Olympic’ rings adorning her ears all gleamed in unison with her beautiful smile as the 49 kg Mirabai Chanu stood robustly, bearing the weight of 115 kg barbell and the insurmountable expectations of 1.37 billion Indians. She had bagged the silver medal for India with this marvelous ‘clean and jerk’ in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. From her signature roar of a powerful “Wah!” before climbing the platform to her humble ‘Namaste’ following her stunning triumphs, she was an epitome of surging energy and composure.
While this Indian sun clad in fiery red was stealing the show in the 49 kg class, a Philippine star wrapped in placid blue was shining in limelight in the 55 kg class of the Tokyo Olympics women’s weightlifting.
She ‘cleaned’ the 127 kg barbell from the floor and squatted with that weight on her chest, challenging the world record holder Liao Qiuyun’s astounding clean and jerk of 126 kg. As the Philippines air force woman rose from her squat, the entire Filipino population rose with her. As she held her breath in the power struggle of ‘jerking’ the barbell over her head, the sprawling archipelago held its breath in sheer anticipation. As ‘Haidee’ stood shaking under the immense weight, the Philippines stood trembling with anxiety. As Diaz heard the horn of success, the world heard the triumphant cry of the 7640 Filipino islands. As Hidilyn Diaz dropped the barbell, rain pelted down on the nation, ending its 97-year Olympic gold medal drought. As she sang ‘Lupang Hinirang’ that resonated through the stadium for the very first time in Olympics history, the world celebrated this champion who had answered Philippine’s quest for a gold at the Olympics.
From lifting firewood to the Olympics barbells, their journey had been filled with heartbreaking failures and countless sacrifices made in pursuit of the big dream. Today, the chai stall owner’s daughter Mirabai and the tricycle driver’s daughter Diaz are laurelled as icons who inspire every athlete to dream of gold regardless of anything and everything.
Diaz will fly free for life with AirAsia and Mirabai will relish pizzas free for life with Domino’s, after their sensational Tokyo Olympics performances. While they indulge in their well-deserved vacation, the spark they had ignited will yield many athletes who would strive to engrave their names in the world’s sporting folklore.
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