Annie Ramirez (left) and Meggie Ochoa produced half of Team Philippines’ golden haul in the Asian Games. —FRANCIS T. J. OCHOA
Accounting for half of Team Philippines’ four gold medals in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, last year, jiujitsu aces Margarita “Meggie” Ochoa and Annie Ramirez will be honored with special awards in the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night along with nine others who created ripples in their fields in the year that passed.
Set on Jan. 29 at Diamond Hotel, the gala will fete Ochoa and Ramirez, the women’s 48 kilograms. and -57 kg. champions, respectively, together with Caloy Yulo, who was a force in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore and pool players Chezka Centeno, Johann Chua and James Aranas, golfer Miguel Tabuena, bowler Zach Sales Ramin, champion horse Big Lagoon, jockey John Alvin Guce and horse owner Vice Gov. Leonardo “Sandy” Javier.
Yulo won all three gold medals for the Philippines in floor exercise, parallel bars and vault, aside from bagging two gold medals in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
The 11 individuals will be honored with a Major Award by the country’s oldest media organization headed by its president, Nelson Beltran, the sports editor of The Philippine Star.
The traditional Awards Night is presented by ArenaPlus, along with major sponsors Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, PLDT/Smart, MILO and Cignal. Also backing the gala night are the Philippine Basketball Association, Premier Volleyball League, 1-Pacman party list Rep. Mikee Romero and Rain or Shine.
Centeno will be honored for capturing the WPA World 10-Ball Women’s Championship in Klagenfurt, Austria, behind a 9-5 victory over Han Yu of China in the finals, while Chua and Aranas also did the same in Lugo, Spain, when they turned back the German pair of Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen, 11-7, to give the country its fourth World Cup of Pool title.