MANILA, Philippines – The best Filipino athletes of all time are set to be feted in full color and glamor after the country’s best-ever Olympics showing as the annual Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night emanates from the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel on Monday, January 27.
Gymnast sensation Carlos Yulo is the star of the night as the well-deserved recipient of the Athlete of the Year award from the country’s oldest media organization under the leadership of its president Nelson Beltran, sports editor of The Philippine Star.
Yulo, the 24-year-old pride of Leveriza, Manila, carved out the Philippines’ first ever double gold medal during the Paris Olympics in a fitting highlight to the country’s centennial participation in the quadrennial showcase.
The historic feat deserves no less than a grand celebration in the biggest PSA Awards Night ever mounted by the sports writing community.
Awards proper starts at 7 pm.
With the theme ‘Golden Year, Golden Centenary,’ the formal event that counts a total of 117 awardees, will have our treasured Olympians serving as the special guest of honor and to be recognized for their hard work and sacrifices in representing the Philippines at the highest level of sports.
Members of the Philippine team to the Olympics in the last 60 years will be represented by their respective batches and join the 2024 Olympic contingent to the French capital, along with the Paris Paralympic Games delegation in sharing center stage during the program made possible by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.
Former Senator Freddie Webb, who played for the men’s basketball team in the 1968 (Mexico) and 1972 (Munich) Olympics, is the keynote speaker and will speak on behalf of all the Olympians.
Legendary weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the Filipino athlete who broke the barrier when she gifted the country its first ever Olympic gold in Tokyo five years ago, will have her special moment in the star-studded affair as she will be formally enshrined in the PSA Hall of Fame.
The 33-year-old Diaz is a four-time winner of the Athlete of the Year (2016, 2018, 2021, 2022)
Boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas will also be feted with the President’s Award for their bronze medal achievements in the Paris Games, while POC President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino is the 2024 Executive of the Year.
Meanwhile, the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines is hailed as the National Sports Association (NSA) of the Year, and joins June Mar Fajardo and Kevin Quiambao (Mr. Basketball), Jia de Guzman (Ms. Volleyball), Rubilen Amit and Carlo Biado (billiards), Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran (boxing).
Other awardees are Daniel Quizon (chess), Rianne Malixi (golf), Tachiana Mangin (taekwondo), and jockey John Alvin Guce, Batang Manda, and Benhur Abalos (horse racing), who will all be handed out with major awards.
Also included in the year’s PSA honor roll are the NCAA and MVP Group of Companies for Special Award, 19 citations, and seven recipients of the Tony Siddayao Awards.
All awardees, officials, and guests who failed to personally get their invitations may claim it at the registration desk of the Centennial Hall of the same venue. – Rappler.com
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