MANILA – Artemio Rocamora, 88, is looking forward to meeting his fellow weightlifter, Olympian and Philippine Air Force officer Hidilyn Diaz.
Rocamora placed 19th in the light heavyweight division of the 1964 Tokyo Games while the 30-year-old Diaz will be etched in history books as the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist.
She also snatched a silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
Incidentally, the ongoing Games are also being held in Tokyo.
Yhara Ramirez, Rocamora’s granddaughter, posted on Facebook on Friday that her “super lolo” (grandfather) is amazed by Diaz and wants to swap stories with her.
Rocamora, born on June 29, 1934, was also an Asian Championships bronze medalist.
“I’m so grateful to be Filipino and proud to be his apo (granddaughter). Our Super Handsome Lolo Artermio,” Ramirez posted. “I am hoping to voice out his legacy since he is now too old and as he saw Hidilyn Diaz compete and bring home the gold. He was so amazed and remembered his journey. We will never get tired of listening to his stories.”
Ramirez said her grandfather could relate with Diaz’s struggle of looking for sponsors to pursue her sport while support her family.
As of posting time, Ramirez said Diaz had read her post.
(PNA – Philippine News Agency )
