THE country’s Olympic heroes and top sports achievers will be feted tonight during the annual San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night at the ballroom of the Diamond Hotel.
Star of the night is Olympic gold medal winner Hidilyn Diaz, who will be honored with the coveted Athlete of the Year award by the country’s oldest media organization in the special two-hour affair presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, and Cignal TV.
The program proper starts at 7:30 p.m. to be hosted by Sev Sarmenta and former courtside reporter and now news anchor Rizza Diaz.
Diaz, 31, of Zamboanga City, provided one of the greatest moments in Philippine sports history last year when she gifted the nation its first gold in the Olympics by ruling in record fashion the women’s 55kg class of the Tokyo Olympiad.
This marks the third time in the last six years the local sportswriting community is recognizing Diaz with its highest individual award. She first clinched the award in 2016 when she won a silver medal in the Rio Olympics and two years later in 2018 when she won a gold medal in the Jakarta Asian Games.
Diaz leads a compact 39-man awardee, including medalists and participants in both the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, who make up the 2021 PSA honor roll to be recognized in the traditional gala night backed by Milo, 1Pacman, Philippine Basketball Association, Philracom, Rain or Shine, ICTSI, Chooks To Go, MVP Sports Foundation, and Smart.
All awardees, officials, guests, and PSA members are reminded to bring their vaccination cards to be allowed entry in the venue as part of the health and safety protocols of the hotel.
Two of the country’s current world champions in golfer Yuka Saso and gymnast Carlos Yulo will be recognized as recipients of the President’s Award to be awarded by PSA president Rey C. Lachica.
Olympic silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio and bronze winner Eumir Marcial lead six other achievers who will be handed Major Awards. The others are billiards champion Carlo Biado, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, grand slam winner Alex Eala, and boxing champions Nonito Donaire Jr., Jerwin Ancajas, and Johnriel Casimero.
Expected to warm the hearts is the bestowing of the Lifetime Achievement Award to two living legends of local basketball in contemporaries and former teammates Robert Jaworski Sr. and Ramon Fernandez.
The National Sports Association of the Year will be awarded to the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas, and the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines.
Also to be honored are the top two Philippine sports officials — POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez. Tolentino is the Executive of the Year while Ramirez will be honored with the Excellence in Leadership Award.
More awards courtesy of Chooks To Go and Milo will be handed out in the annual affair. Marcial has been named as the Chooks To Go Fan Favorite “Manok Ng Bayan” awardee, while Diaz receives the first Milo Champion of Grit and Glory Award.
To be given citations are Olympians Margielyn Didal (skateboard), Irish Magno (boxing), Bianca Pagdanganan (golf), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), Elreen Ando (weightlifting), Kristina Knott (athletics), Remedy Rule (swimming), Luke Gebbie (swimming), Kiyomi Watanabe (judo), Cris Nievarez (rowing), Kurt Barbosa (taekwondo), and Jayson Valdez (shooting), Paralympians Jerrold Mangliwan (wheelchair racing), Ernie Gawilan (swimming), Gary Bejino (swimming), Allain Ganapin (taekwondo), Jeanette Aceveda (athletics), and Achelle Guion (powerlifting), along with Asian weightlifting double gold winner Vanessa Sarno.
