The country’s own weightlifting fairy and Olympics golden girl, Hidilyn Diaz, is now officially Mrs. Naranjo.
She and her longtime partner and coach, Julius Naranjo, tied the knot in Baguio on Tuesday, coinciding with the first anniversary of Hidilyn’s gold medal win during the Tokyo Olympics.
“Today marks the first anniversary of [our] winning the gold medal in the Olympics for the Philippines. And today also will be a memorable day for Julius and [I], we will get married today,” the 31-year-old athlete posted on Instagram.
Hidilyn switched from gold to silver as she donned a Francis Libiran-designed wedding gown with an off-shoulder mermaid cut and bedazzled with Swarovski crystals and sequins for the ceremony.
She also wore her engagement ring with a diamond set inside an intricate miniature barbell.
Even her bouquet was symbolic as florist Gideon Hermosa created a unique bridal bouquet inspired by Hidilyn’s profession and historic feat. She walked down the aisle with a double cascading brocade of orchids to resemble a weighted barbell.
The couple wed at the prestigious Baguio Country Club.
Hidilyn and Julius met in Turkmenistan in 2017 during the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, where he represented Guam as a weightlifter before he retired from the sport.
He later joined Hidilyn’s team as her strength and conditioning coach and played a significant role in her journey as an athlete.
