IN her latest accolade, weightlifter Hidylin Diaz as was awarded the prestigious Arete trophy recently by the Philippine Olympians Association for winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics last year.
“After 12 years since we last awarded the Arete, POA gave the distinguished award to Hidylin Diaz for her historic feat at the Tokyo Olympics. Almost 100 years since we first participated at the Olympics, Diaz is the first Filipino to win a gold medal at the Games,” the POA said in a statement.
POA President Akiko Thomson Guevarra, a three-time Olympian and eight-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, awarded the trophy to Diaz, who also won a weightlifting silver medal in the 2016 Rio Summer Games.
The POA also awarded an Arete corporate trophy to Bountry Agro Ventures, Inc. chief Ronald Mascarinas for awarding Chooks-to-Go franchises to boxers Leopoldo Serrantes, Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco and Roel Velasco.
The late Serrantes , who won a bronze medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, was also given P100,000 monthly by Mascarinas while he was hospitalized.
Roel Velasco and Mansueto Velasco copped a bronze and silver medal, respectively, in the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Summer Games.
