Rowers join PSA major awardees

Seven more athletes who did well in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games made it to the elite roster of major awardees to be feted by the PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) during its Annual Awards Night on Jan. 14 at the Manila Pavillion.

Rowers Suhod Hakim, Ruperto Sabijon, Manuel Maya, Junray Dayumad and Ricky Sardena, tennister Cecil Mamiit and wushu artist Rene Catalan were named as recipients of major awards for greatly helping Team Philippines capture the overall title in the SEA Games.

Earlier in the month, the 100-member, 46-year-old association named Team Philippines as its Athlete of the Year in a fitting tribute for winning its first-ever overall championship in the biennial, 11-nation meet.

Hakim, Sabijon, Maya, Dayumad and Sardena were all members of the National team that swept the four golds staked in the men’s division of traditional boat racing while Mamiit struck in the singles and men’s team competitions in tennis.

On the other hand, Catalan won the gold in men’s sanshou (48 kilograms) in wushu before climaxing a big year with a victory in the same event in the last eighth world championship in Hanoi, Vietnam two weeks ago.

The PSA Board, made up of editors of leading national broadsheets and tabloids, earlier named 14 athletes led by diver Sheila Mae Perez and Alex Pagulayan of billiards as major awardees.

PSA president Jimmy Cantor of Malaya said other athletes and entities who will get citations for making 2005 a year to remember in local sports will be announced within the week.

Cantor added that the rest of Filipino SEA Games gold medalists will automatically receive citations during the two-hour rites to be covered by Channel 4 on a delayed basis.

The list of awardees follows:

Athlete of the Year — Team Philippines

Major awardees - Alex Pagulayan, Manny Pacquiao, Arwind Santos, Eric Menk, Jennifer Rosales, Juvic Pagunsan, Harry Tanamor, Warren Davadilla, Maristela Torres, Amaya Paz, Miguel Molina, Sheila Mae Perez, Benjamin Tolentino, John Baylon, Cecil Mamiit, Suhod Hakim, Ruperto Sabijon, Manuel Maya, Junray Dayumad, Ricky Sardena and Rene Catalan.

Special citation: All Filipino gold medalists in the 23rd SEA Games.

Aside from having five major awardees, the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation also won the most outstanding national sports association (NSA) for sweeping the six golds staked in the sport discipline, including two in the women’s division.

Expected to lead the list of entities to be cited during the simple but meningful rites is San Miguel Corp., which donated P100 million to the First Gentleman Sports Foundation for training expenses of 13 NSAs.

The PSA board has yet to decide on the other candidates for citations.