PSA to honor SEA Games gold medalists

Eight tracksters and four wushu experts and bowling champions who gave the Philippines the most number of gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur last September lead the honor roll of SEAG gold medalists who will receive citations from the Philippine Sportswriters Association during its annual Awards Night Jan. 11 at the Holiday Inn Manila.

Eduardo Buenavista, who spearheaded athletics’ eight-gold medal drive in Kuala Lumpur by winning the 3,000 m steeplechase and 5,000m run, will receive the PSA’s Major Award while his six other teammates will receive citations from the country’s oldest organization, which was founded in 1949.

The annual PSA Awards Night is sponsored by Photokina Marketing and Red Bull and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

The other tracksters who brought home the gold and who will receive citations are Ernie Candelario (400m), Fidel Gallenero (decathlon), John Lozada (800m), Elma Muros (heptathlon) and marathoners Cristabel Martes and Roy Vence.

Wushu, which has shown consistency as the country’s major gold medal producer in the SEAG, obtained four from Mark Rosales (cudgel play), Willy Wang (spear play), Jerome Calica (sanshou 52 kg) and Marques Sanguiao (sanshou 60 kg).

The bowling team also earned four gold medals courtesy of Leonardo Rey (men’s all events), the RP ladies doubles team of Liza del Rosario and Arianne Cerdeña, the men’s trio of Rey, Chester King and CJ Suarez, and the men’s team-of-five of King, Christian Suarez, Engelbert Rivera, Benito Dytoc and Rey).

Del Rosario will receive the PSA’s Major Award as finalist in the World Cup of bowling in Patthaya, Thailand in November.

The RP men’s basketball team, represented by the Metropolitan Basketball Association, will also receive a citation from the sportswriting fraternity in formal rites which will have President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the invited guest of honor and speaker.

A crack billiards team won three gold medals from cue artists Lee Van Corteza (8-ball), Antonio Lining (9-ball) and Warren Kiamco (15-ball rotation).

World champion Efren "Bata" Reyes did not win a gold in Kuala Lumpur but made an impact during the year throughout the world by winning four major titles and a whopping P12.4 million in prize money to become the PSA’s Top Male Athlete of the Year.

The other awardees are Jose Ma. Pabillore and Gretchen Malalad in karatedo, Veronica Domingo and Ma. Nelia Sy-Ycasa of taekwondo, and Purita Joy Marino (archery), Wally Mendoza (fencing), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), John Baylon (judo) and Jasmin Luis (shooting).