A huge toast is in store for the country’s best-ever showing in the Olympics and to the rest of the top performers of 2024 on Monday with the much-awaited staging of the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.

Gymnast sensation Carlos Yulo is the star of the night as the well-deserved recipient of the Athlete of the Year award from the country’s oldest media organization under the leadership of its president Nelson Beltran, sports editor of The Philippine Star.

Yulo, the 24-year-old pride of Leveriza, Manila, carved out the Philippines’ first ever double gold medal during the Paris Olympics in a fitting highlight to the country’s centennial participation in the quadrennial showcase.

The historic feat deserves no less than a grand celebration in the biggest PSA Awards Night ever mounted by the sports writing community and co-presented by ArenaPlus, Cignal, and MediaQuest.

Awards proper starts at 7 p.m.

With the theme ‘Golden Year, Golden Centenary,’ the formal event that counts a total of 117 awardees, will have our treasured Olympians serving as the special guest of honor and to be recognized for their hard work and sacrifices in representing the Philippines at the highest level of sports.

Members of the Philippine team to the Olympics in the last 60 years will be represented by their respective batches and join the 2024 Olympic contingent to the French capital, along with the Paris Paralympic Games delegation in sharing center stage during the program made possible by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, PLDT/Smart, and Senator Bong Go, with support from the PBA, PVL, 1-Pacman Party List, Rain or Shine, Akari, and AcroCity.

Former Senator Freddie Webb, who played for the men’s basketball team in the 1968 (Mexico) and 1972 (Munich) Olympics, is the keynote speaker and will speak on behalf of all the Olympians.

Legendary weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the Filipino athlete who broke the barrier when she gifted the country its first ever Olympic gold in Tokyo five years ago, will have her special moment in the star-studded affair as she will be formally enshrined in the PSA Hall of Fame. The 33-year-old Diaz is a four-time winner of the Athlete of the Year (2016, 2018, 2021, 2022)

Boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas will also be feted with the President’s Award for their bronze medal achievements in the Paris Games, while POC President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino is the 2024 Executive of the Year for his continued hands-on leadership in guiding Philippines sports to bigger breakthrough and greater glory as magnified by the two golds and two bronzes in last year’s Olympics.

Meanwhile, the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines is hailed as the National Sports Association (NSA) of the Year, and joins June Mar Fajardo and Kevin Quiambao (Mr. Basketball), Jia Morado-De Guzman (Ms. Volleyball), Rubilen Amit and Carlo Biado (billiards), Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran (boxing), Daniel Quizon (chess), Rianne Malixi (golf), Tachiana Mangin (taekwondo), and jockey John Alvin Guce, Batang Manda, and Benhur Abalos (horse racing), who will all be handed out with Major Awards.

Also included in the year’s PSA honor roll are the NCAA and MVP Group of Companies for Special Award, 19 citations, and seven recipients of the Tony Siddayao Awards.

All awardees, officials, and guests who failed to personally get their invitations may claim it at the registration desk of the Centennial Hall of the same venue.

MANILA — Carlos Yulo clinched the bronze medal in the floor exercise event of the 2024 FIG Men’s Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series Baku leg in Azerbaijan on Saturday (09 March 2024), Manila time.

The Filipino gymnast, who punched a ticket last October to the 2024 Paris Olympics, earned a score of 14.366 points with a difficulty level of 6.3 and an execution score of 8.066 points.

Yulo, who previously secured gold in floor exercise in 2019 and vault in 2021 at the World Championships, secured third place behind gold medalist Yahor Sharamkou of Belarus and silver medalist Minami Kazuki of Japan.

Sharamkou achieved a score of 14.933 points, with a difficulty level of 6.4 and an execution score of 8.533. Meanwhile, Minami tallied 14.666 points with a difficulty of 6.2 and execution of 8.466 in the eight-man final.

Eddie Penev of Bulgaria finished fourth with 14.166 points, and Ryu Sunghyun of South Korea secured fifth place with 14.133 points.

Yuri Guimaraes of Brazil ranked sixth with 13.900 points, followed by Aurel Benovic of Croatia in seventh with 13.833, and Illia Kovtun of Ukraine in eighth with 13.366.

Yulo salvaged a medal in the tournament after failing to advance to the championship round in five other apparatuses. He placed third in the preliminaries of floor exercise with 14.333 points. However, he ranked 21st in vault preliminaries, 16th in horizontal bar, 41st in pommel horse, ninth in parallel bars, and 18th in still rings. Only the top eight gymnasts in each apparatus advanced to the finals.

Another Filipino gymnast, Emma Malabuyo, will contend for a medal in the women’s floor exercise final on Sunday, March 10.

This World Cup Baku series leg marks Yulo’s first tournament since the World Championships last October and serves as part of his preparations for the Paris Olympics.

(By el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — Olympic silver medalist Nesthy Petecio secured her place in the quarterfinals of the 1st World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers in Busto Arsizio, Italy, on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

In the Round of 16 of the women’s 57-kilogram (kg) division, Petecio clinched victory over Nancy Canan Tas of Germany with a unanimous decision (5-0).

Petecio is set to face Maud van der Toorn of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, who triumphed over Jenifer Fernande of Spain (5-0).

She must advance to the finals of the tournament to secure her qualification for the Paris Olympics.

In the men’s 57-kg division, Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam emerged victorious against Mexico’s Andrey Bonilla in the Round of 32 with a split decision (3-1).

Paalam took to his Facebook and Instagram stories to express his disappointment in his Mexican opponent’s boxing skills, criticizing Bonilla for lacking proficiency.

He is slated to go against Turkmenistan’s Shukur Ovezov in the Round of 16 on Sunday (Monday in Manila).

In the women’s 50-kg Round of 32, Aira Villegas triumphed over Canada’s McKenzie Wright with a split decision (3-2), keeping her hopes alive for the Paris Olympics.

Villegas will progress to the Round of 16 and will face off against Sofie Rosshaug of Denmark on Sunday.

These three boxers, along with Asian Games silver medalist Rogen Ladon, remain the Philippines’ contenders in the Olympic qualifiers in Italy.

Currently, the Philippines has one qualified boxer for the Paris Olympics—Eumir Felix Marcial, who secured his spot following a silver-medal finish at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, last year.

Ladon, Villegas, and Paalam only need to reach the tournament’s semifinals to secure their places in the Paris Games.

(By El Amigo/MNM)