GOLD RUSH. Some of the Baguio Cordillera athletes who won medals in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games will be part of the Team Philippines that will be named Athlete of the Year in the Philippine Sportswriters Association sports awards on March 6 at the Manila Hotel. In the photo are Estie Gay Liwanen of kurash (front, 3rd from left), dancesport’s Stephanie Sabalo (4th from left), amateur boxer of the year Nesthie Petecio (5th from left), Gina Iniong of kickboxing (rightmost) and Jean Claude Saclag (3rd from right). (PNA photo by Pigeon Lobien)
BAGUIO CITY – A total of 20 athletes who won gold medals in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) and a professional fighter will be joining the sports awards hosted by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) at the Manila Hotel on Friday, March 6.
“I will be attending,” said sambo gold medal winner Mark Striegl which was echoed by double gold medalist Stephanie Sabalo of dancesport.
The annual awards hosted by the oldest sportswriters’ group in the country will honor the athletes that brought home 149 gold medals, 20 of them from Baguio and the Cordillera in probably the biggest single award given by the body.
“I might join my fellow arnis players,” said 19-year-old Abegail Abad, winner in arnis padded stick in the welterweight division along with University of Baguio (UB) schoolmate Elmer Manlapas (men’s padded stick 55-60 kilogram division).
“We are still planning on how to get there and where to stay after the awards,” said Abad, who received her invite for the event.
The event presented by San Miguel Corporation, Milo and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) at the Centennial Hall of the hotel will honor “the heroes and heroines that made 2019 a historic year for sports.”
Team Philippines will be the Athlete of the Year awardee along with Efren Reyes, the lifetime achievement awardee as well as gymnast Carlos Yulo, who will receive the President’s Award from PSA president Tito Talao of Manila Bulletin.
Boxer Nesthy Petecio of UB’s School of International Tourism and Hotel Management will be one of the major awardees for winning the gold in the (Amateur) International Boxing Association in October last year as well as a gold medal in the SEAG.
Other gold medalists from Baguio and the Cordilleras are Crisamuel Delfin (men’s an open weapon non-traditional), boxers Josie Gabuco and Carlo Paalam also from UB, Kenneth Jiane Villa for esports, kickboxers Gina Iniong, Jerry Olsim and Jean Claude Saclag, Estie Gay Liwanen for kurash, muay Thai’s Jearome Calica and Ariel Lim Lampacan, Sandi Menchi Abahan for obstacle course running, Kurt Bryan Barbosa for taekwondo kroyugi and Jeordan Dominguez for taekwondo poomsae, wrestler Jason Baucas, and wushu sanda’s Divine Wally.
Gabuco will also be cited for her achievements in amateur boxing, while Team Lakay’s Joshua Pacio will get a citation for mixed martial arts after successfully defending his ONE strawweight title in October last year.
Other Team Lakay members in the PSA awards are Iniong, who won in the undercard of Pacio’s title defense last January 30, Olsim, and Saclag.
The gold medalists were the main awardees during the annual sports awards here December 30 last year and they were also recognized by the city government during the second sports summit last January 31.
On March 22, during the opening of the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association meet, the athletes will be honored by the Department of Education-Cordillera to serve as inspiration for the close to 7,000 athletes from the six provinces and two city members of the multi-sport event. (PNA)
