Trenten Beram after winning the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter run event of the 29th Southeast Asian Games athletics competition. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SEA GAMES POOL
The haul may be small, but new heroes and old reliables made the Philippine campaign a bit brighter in the regional games.
Despite a dismal sixth-place finish, the country had proud moments in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games where Filipino-American Trenten Anthony Beram emerged as sprint king.
Differently abled athletes Cielo Honasan and Cendy Asusano of athletics and Sander Severino of chess also bagged multiple medals in the Para Games where the Nationals wound up fifth overall.
All four lead the gold medalists in the two biennial games who will be honored by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) in the annual awards night on Feb. 27 at Manila Hotel.
Beram, who shone right on his debut by ruling both the men’s 200m and 400m run, will be joined by fellow tracksters Aries Toledo, Eric Shauwn Cray and Mary Joy Tabal.
Nikko Huelgas and Kim Mangrobang, who bannered the country’s triathlon sweep, will share the spotlight with boxing’s Eumir Felix Marcial and John Marvin, fencing’s Brennan Louie, gymnastics’ Reyland Capellan and Kaitlin de Guzman, wushu’s Agatha Wong, billiards’ Carlo Biado and Chezka Centeno, judo’s Kiyomi Watanabe and Mariya Takahashi, pencak silat’s Dines Dumaan, taekwondo’s Samuel Morrison and the men’s poomsae team, lawn bowls men’s fours, ice hockey team and men’s basketball team.
World champions Jerwin Ancajas of boxing, bowling’s Krizziah Lyn Tabora and billiards’ Carlo Biado will receive the Athlete of the Year awards.