A couple of gold medalists in two major events and a world boxing champion head the shortlist for the Athlete of the Year award to be given during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night in February next year.
Asian Games BMX champion Daniel Caluag, Youth Olympic Games archery gold medalist Gabriel Moreno and world boxing champion Donnie Nietes are in the running for the highest individual honor handed out by the country’s oldest media organization.
Caluag ended up as the lone saving grace for the Philippines in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon last October after ruling the BMX event.
The golden performance was the sole bright spot in what was a largely disappointing campaign by the Philippines.
Nietes is poised to surpass the record set by the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde as the longest reigning Filipino world champion. The Bacolod-bred boxer has been undefeated the past seven years during his reign as minimumweight and light flyweight champion, respectively.
Moreno struck gold in the mixed team side event of archery in the Youth Olympic Games after partnering with China’s Li Jiaman. With the victory, Moreno became the first Filipino to win a gold in the meet.
Presented by Milo, the PSA Awards Night will feature the best and brightest in Philippine sports for 2014. Major awards and citations will also be given.
The PSA will also hand out the President’s Award as well as the Executive of the Year, National Sports Association of the Year, the Tony Siddayao Awards for outstanding athletes aged 17 or younger, Lifetime Achievement Award, Sports Patron of the Year, Posthumous, and the Milo Outstanding Athletes (boys and girls).