Tokyo Olympics: inside the Malaysian ‘kampong’ house where Philippines’ Hidilyn Diaz prepared for historic gold
- Philippines’ first-ever gold medallist stayed for almost a year in a house in rural Jasin, where a makeshift gym was built for her in the backyard
- Ahmad Janius, who arranged the house for Diaz, says Filipino was a role model and inspiration to his kids during her stay in his village
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Hidilyn Diaz sat down for a meal with her kampong family in rural Malaysia. Before eating, she said a little prayer of thanks. The children looked at each other with surprise, and said “Bismillah” (in the name of God) – the Muslim equivalent.
Their father – Ahmad Janius Abdullah – was moved. He said Diaz, a devout Catholic, has been more than a guest in their house over the past year. She has also been an inspiration and a role model for his family and millions of Filipinos.
During her almost year-long stay in the house, Diaz trained on a platform in the backyard that Janius prepared especially for her. She formed bonds with his family and younger children, dined on kampong food, fed fish at a nearby pond and encountered venomous snakes – a typical village existence.
“She was an example to our kids over here,” Janius, a weightlifting enthusiast who owns a gym in Kuala Lumpur, told the Post. “My kids learned from her. They saw her make a prayer before eating and even though we are brought up to perform this small ritual, we tend to forget. So my children remembered to do that because of her and that made me very happy.