Filipino athletes who represented the country in the 2020 Olympic Games will be cited during the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night next week at the Diamond Hotel.
Citations are going to be given to 19 athletes who carried the country’s tricolors in both the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics by the country’s oldest media organization when it holds its traditional awards ceremony presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Cignal TV.
The special event is set on March 14 at the Diamond Hotel.
The list of Olympians include skateboarder Margielyn Didal, boxer Irish Magno, golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Juvic Pagunsan, weightlifter Elreen Ando, trackster Kristina Knott, swimmers Remedy Rule and Luke Gebbie, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, rower Cris Nievarez, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, and shooter Jayson Valdez.
The Paralympians, meanwhile, include swimmers Ernie Gawilan and Gary Bejino, wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan, taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin, trackster Jeanette Aceveda, and powerlifter Achelle Guion.
A future Olympian in weightlifter Vanessa Sarno was added to the list for winning two gold medals and a silver in the women’s 71 kg division of the Asian Women’s Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The rest of the Olympians not part of the citation led by first ever gold medal winner Hidilyn Diaz, who will be feted with the PSA Athlete of the Year award, are going to be conferred with other recognition such as the President’s Award (Yuka Saso and Carlos Yulo) and Major Awards (Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Eumir Felix Marcial, and EJ Obiena).
Also part of the Major Awards list is US Open men’s billiards champion Carlo Biado.
All awardees, athletes, officials, guests, and PSA members are required to bring along and present their vaccination card to be allowed entry in the event venue.
A compact list of 39 athletes, officials, and entities make up the 2021 batch of awardees to be feted by the Philippine sportswriting fraternity during the gala night backed by MILO (official choco milk), 1Pacman, Philippine Basketball Association, Philracom, Rain or Shine, ICTSI, Chooks To Go, MVP Sports Foundation, and Smart.
