Hidilyn Diaz bags another win after her gold medal, she’s now engaged with boyfriend Julius Naranjo
Hidilyn Diaz just keeps winning in life and we are not complaining. After being the first Filipino ever to win a gold medal for the Philippines, she is now engaged with her boyfriend and coach Julius Naranjo.
How the two athletes met
Hidilyn met Julius at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in 2017. He is a Filipino-Japanese weightlifter.
Julius represented Guam in the 62kg weight category. The Guamanian athlete told Sports U two years ago that he was immediately drawn to Diaz. However, he was not exactly aware of how big a deal she was in Philippine sports.
“When I watched her first competition at that meet we were at, I was inspired to see her willpower. Her way of really fighting towards the top, working hard, it’s such an inspiration.”
Hidilyn Diaz made history as the first Filipino to win an Olympic Gold in July. Julius was by her side in her victory.
Days after winning, she said she was ready to get married if her boyfriend slash coach proposed to her.
The dinner
Resorts World Manila released photos of the cute couple having dinner. The gold medalist sported a beautiful pink floral dress as she was held by his sweetheart.
At the end of the dinner, Julius knelt on one knee, making Hidilyn gasp. However, the coach played it off as a joke, while he reached out to tie his shoelaces. This made Hidilyn giggle and called him out. That’s when Julius pulled out a small box.
Being the playful guy that he is, Julius asked, “What is it?” Hidilyn didn’t answer. She just put her hand to her mouth, probably already knowing what’s happening. Julius then opened the box which revealed the beautiful ring, uttering the famous words,
“Will you marry me?”
The blessed woman of course answered “yes”.
Having a wondrous relationship
In an Instagram post, Hidilyn shared the “magical moment”. She wrote,
“I’m grateful to God that He sent Julius into my life, he make my life easy 😀, alam ng iba kung ano mga sinasakripisyo niya para maabot namin ang pangarap na Ginto sa Olympics together with #TeamHD“
(I’m grateful to God that He sent Julius to my life. He makes my life easy. Other people know how much he sacrificed in order for us to win our dream gold medal in the Olympics, together with Team HD)
The athlete reiterated how having God as the center of their relationship made everything work out.
“…nun laro kinilig at masaya ako kasi siya mismo nagsabi God is the center of our relationship, kaya walang duda magYeYES ako dahil swerte ako may isang Julius nagmamahal, nagintindi , at sumoporta sakin.”
(In the game, I was flattered and happy because it was him who said that God is the center of our relationship. There’s no doubt that I will say “Yes” because I’m very lucky that I have a guy like Julius who loves, understands, and supports me.)
Congratulations are in place for the power couple. You deserve it, Hidilyn!
