Alessandra Gwen Santos

It runs in the blood.

CALABARZON’s Matthew Diaz, nephew of Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz, carved his history in a dominant fashion, securing the first gold of the secondary boys’ 48 kg division weightlifting demonstration event return at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, on Monday, May 26. 


Geared with the ‘Diaz’ touch, Matthew finished with strong lifts of 73 kg in Snatch and 93 kg in Clean and Jerk to make his history of his own like her aunt, who once did in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Under the guidance of coach Zaldy Mallari, the young Diaz developed both his lifting prowess and mental grit to excel in the competition.

“Sobrang okay po dahil may nag-pupush po sa akin para magkaroon po ako ng lakas,” said the 14-year-old weightlifter, talking about his preparation before joining the Palaro.

Coming in second, Generosmel Cortez of Region IX bagged the silver, while the National Capital Region’s(NCR) Rayney Joy Espina finished off with bronze.

On the other hand, Region IX’s Amor Gantalao delivered a stellar performance to secure her place at the top podium at the girls’ 40 kg division after a combined lift of 113 kg—52 kg in the Snatch followed by 61 kg in the Clean and Jerk.

Region IV-A’s bet Victoria Anosa took silver, while NCR’s Chloe Taylor completed the set of podium finishers with bronze.

As weightlifting was a demonstration event, the medals won will not be included in the regions’ overall medal tally.