The crème de la crème of Filipino athletes took the podium in the recent Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night, which is considered the Oscars of sports.
The biggest toast belonged to Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz who was adjudged the Athlete of the Year honors by the oldest and biggest organization of sports journalists in the country.
Diaz said sports and her silver medal victory in women’s weightlifting in Rio Olympics changed his life and the PSA trophy is something that he would cherish for life.
And she’s hoping to return again.
“Malaking inspiration ito sa akin. Sana, makabalik ako sa 2021,” said the Zamboanga City lass, referring to the year following the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. “Napatunayan ko na walang imposible kung gugustuhin at magwo-work sa mga pangarap mo,” added Diaz during her speech after receiving her trophy at the Le Pavilion in Pasay City.
She’s aware that the road to Tokyo is no less difficult. The 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur is no longer in her calendar after her event was scratched from the biennial meet.
Instead, Diaz is focusing her preparations on two other top-tier events this year–the weightlifting meet in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan this September, and the World Championship this Novembers in Anaheim, California.
Diaz will be competing for the first time in the multi-event Asian meet while it will be her third time to join the World tournament organized by the International Weightlifting Federation in the United States.
Diaz said she’s glad to be training again with coach Tony Agustin. She is back under his wings, and after Dondon Aldanete took over to help train her for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last year.
And there’s something else that’s keeping her busy.
She is back to school, taking up business management after she accepted a scholarship offer from the College of St. Benilde. The help came from another Olympian, La Salle alumnus Stephen Fernandez, who is the school’s athletic director.
Also sharing the limelight with Diaz during the Awards Night were chess gradmaster Eugene Torre who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement award and karter Milo Rivera as Presidential awardee.
Other major awardees were June Mar Fajardo as Mr. Basketball, Misagh Bahadoran (Mr. Footbal), Miguel Luis Tabuena (Mr. Golf), Jeordan Domingues (Mr Taekwondo) and Mika Aereen Reyes (Ms. Volleyball).