How Hidilyn Diaz scored gold on Philippines’ #YearOnTwitter 2021

December 15, 2021 - 7:59 PM
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Hidilyn Diaz
Hidilyn Diaz in this photo taken by Mark Nicdao as posted on her Instagram on Oct. 31, 2021. (Photo from Instagram/hidilyndiaz)

It’s Hidilyn Diaz supremacy that reigned on Twitter Philippines this year.

The microblogging platform reported that the weightlifter ranked gold in terms of tweets for 2021.

A tweet about Diaz became the most engaged tweet on local Twitter this year when she made history as the first athlete in the Philippines to bring home an Olympic gold medal.

Posted on July 26, 2021, the official account of the Olympics shared a clip announcing that the 30-year-old weightlifter struck gold at the women’s 55-kilogram category for weightlifting after lifting a combined weight of 224 kg.

The post has earned more than 56,000 retweets, over 14,000 quote tweets and a whopping number of 149,000 likes so far.

Diaz won her gold medal at her fourth Olympics.

China’s Liao Qiuyun brought the silver medal with 223 kg while Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo got bronze for lifting 213 kg.

READ: Hidilyn Diaz wins first Olympic gold for Philippines

“2021 shows how we connect in various ways. First is connecting to the present to join triumphant moments and discover news and information. It has been a victorious year for Philippine sports and Filipinos did not miss the chance to celebrate our win as it happens,” Twitter Philippines noted in a release.

The flexed biceps emoji also ranked as the most tweeted about sports emoji in the Philippines this year, followed by the trophy emoji.

The flexed biceps emoji has been widely used on Twitter posts reporting about Diaz’s historic feat. Other users also used the particular emoji in congratulating her.

The trophy emoji, which is in gold, was also similarly used by news outlets and Filipinos when they posted about the weightlifter’s Olympic victory.

(Infographics from Twitter Philippines/Released)

“Though Filipinos kept tabs on international sporting events through digital screens, the distance did not stop them from expressing their excitement as the game unfolds,” the microblogging platform said.

“Most used emojis this year showed our golden moment and how it gathered and connected Filipinos together, with the flexed biceps emoji representing strength especially in weightlifting, along with the trophy and medal emojis,” it added.