Philippine weightlifting debuts with Matthew Diaz's gold

Philippine weightlifting made its debut as a demonstration sport at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte, with Matthew Diaz claiming the first gold medal on Monday.

Diaz, nephew of Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, won the secondary boys' 48kg division by lifting 73kg in snatch and 93 kg in clean and jerk.

Hidilyn Diaz is now serving as weightlifting's tournament director for the reintroduction of the sport at Palarong Pambansa, emphasizing the importance of grassroots development to elevate weightlifting across all regions.

The demonstration event featured over 70 participants from nine regions competing across 10 divisions -- five each for boys and girls, marking a significant step towards weightlifting's official inclusion in future Palarong Pambansa events.

Diaz noted that increased interest in weightlifting followed her historic gold medal win at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, which sparked calls to include it in youth sports programs to develop future champions.