Julius Naranjo: “I was actually with two living legends”
JULIUS NARANJO – The husband of Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz shahred that he and his wife got tattooed by Apo Whang-Od.
He posted a series of photos on his social media account where he and his wife can be seen visiting the oldest and last mambabatok in Buscalan Village in Kalinga. Hidilyn flexed her arm with Apo Whang-Od’s three-dot signature, as seen in the first photo of her husband’s post.
Julius, meanwhile, got a larger sleeve tattoo from Apo Whang-Od’s prodigy, Grace, “which tells a story of courage, resilience, perseverance, and strength”.
He said in the caption of his social media post that the experience happened with “two living legends” – one is a living legend culturally and one is a living legend through sports. According to him, both Apo Whang-Od and Hidilyn embody strength and empower beauty through their achievements and talents.
Julius also said that becoming Filipino and discovering his ilocano roots meant doing things he has never would have imagine.
“while we establish a grassroots here in the Philippines with the @hdweightliftingacademy, getting a traditional tattoo from none other than apo whang od and meeting one of her prodigies in @palicasgrace , I knew I needed a piece from Grace which tells a story of courage, resilience, perseverance, and strength,” he said.
Julius Naranjo and Hidilyn Diaz tied the knot in 2022 and celebrated their fifth anniversary that same year.
Hidilyn Diaz made history as the first Filipino athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, after winning the women’s 55-kg weightlifting event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Pinay weightlifter vowed to continue weightlifting despite failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
To recall, it was last April when she took to social media to reveal that she’s preparing to start a family with her husband. She stressed the importance of family and also emphasized the profound impact this new phase will have on their lives as a married couple.
Hidilyn said in an interview with Vogue that she wants her own children to grow up as good people, to be happy, independent, and to finish their studies. She added that she hopes her own children will have skills in order for them to be able to give back to the country.