31 athletes to get PSA citation

Twenty-one national athletes who won the silver and bronze medals in this year’s Asian Games in Busan, South Korea and 10 winners in international competitions during the year will be honored during the PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Annual Awards Jan. 10 at the Holiday Inn.

The PSA, the oldest news organization in the country, will present citations to six national athletes who won the silver medal in Busan, and to 15 others for their bronze-medal performance.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been invited to confer the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards to world champion Manny Pacquiao and Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski as well as the major awards to top performers in various sports in ceremonies to be attended by PSA members and sports leaders from the government and private sector.

The Awards Night is sponsored by Red Bull and Photokina and supported by San Miguel Corp., Samsung, the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Adidas.

The Asiad silver medalists are bowler Botchok Rey, CJ Suarez and Chester King (trios event), Liza del Rosario, Irene Garcia-Benitez, Liza Clutario, Jojo Canare, Ces Yap and Kathlyn Ann Lopez (women’s team of five), Warren Kiamco in 9-ball singles of billiards, Toni Leviste, Cojuangco-Jaworski, Danielle Cojuangco, and Michelle Barrera in showjumping event (equestrian), and wushu artists Marvin Sicomen (52 kg sanshou) and Rexel Nganhayna (56 kg sanshou).

The bronze medal winners are Clutario (bowling ladies singles), rowers Alvin Amposta and Nestor Cordova (men’s lightweight double sculls), shooter Jethro Dionisio (men’s individual trap), the shooting team of Dionisio, Eric Ang, and Jaime Recio, women golfers Ria Quiazon, Heidi Chua and Carmelette Villaroman;

Taekwondo jinns Tshomlee Go (men’s flyweight), Daleen Cordero (women’s semiflyweight) Veronica Domingo (women’s welterweight), Dindo Simpao (men’s middleweight) and Sally Solis (women’s middleweight), karatekas Gretchen Malalad (60 kg kumite) and Cherli Tugday (kata individual) and wushu experts Bobby Co (men’s tajiquan), Edward Folayang (65 kg sanshou) and Arvin Teng (changcuan combined 3 events).

The international winners are the RP golf team which placed third in the world amateur golf championships, Raul Ramon Arambulo in Asian archery, Enzo Pastor in Asian formula racing, specially-abled athletes Adeline Dumapong, Africita Salazar, Roderick Canta and Paz Enano (FESPIC Games), Marcus Valda (Southeast Asian wrestling), Rener Mercado-Judith Anne Melencio and Bong Marquez-Belinda Adora in Asia Pacific dance sport.