THE LIST. Nineteen athletes including Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio will be among the top awardees for this year’s sports awards. Held on February 22, a total of 25 athletes and patrons will be honored in the new annual sports awards of the soon to be launched sports group.
The Baguio for Media Development starts its bid to provide support to Baguio sports program wits launching and sports awards on Tuesday at the Baguio athletic bowl.
Some 21 athletes, two politicians and two artists are named the first batch of MSD’s Bests for 2021 on February 22 as the group starts work to support Baguio’s sports program as fortified with the passage of the Comprehensive Sports Code last year and with various projects at the sports facility that will expectedly propel Baguio in the sports map.
Olympians and silver medal winners Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam lead the march of awardees as co-athletes of the year for their efforts in the Tokyo Olympics in August last year.
Petecio fell to arch rival Sena Irie of the Japan in the finals to settle for silver, and the first female boxer to have a podium finish.
The former scavenger Paalam came short of a rally to lose to Briton Galal Yafai in the finals of the men’s flyweight in the delayed Tokyo Summer Games.
Eumir Marcial provided the third medal for Team Philippines in the Tokyo Games after falling to Oleksandr Khyzniak in the semfinals to settle for bronze.
The fourth member of Team Philippines, Irish Magno, failed to advance to the medal round of women’s flyweight.
Also honored in the first staging of what will be an annual event are taekwondo djins Jeordan Dominguez and Justin Kobe Macario who helped the mixed poomsae team to the gold medal in the Asian Taekwondo Championship in Beirut, Lebanon in July last year.
To be feted during the launching of the Media for Sports Development will be Islay Erika Bomogao who won a bronze and two gold medals in the IFMA World Championship held in Phuket, Thailand in December last year.
The young daughter of councilor Benny Bomogao took the bronze in combat, then came back strong in the demonstration part winning a gold in women’s wai kru and a gold along with combat winner Philip Delarmino.
Also honored during the event are Philippine Muay Thai team coaches Billy Alumno and Edzel Ngina.
In professional boxing, newly crowned Philippine Boxing Federation super bantamweight king Carl Jammes Martin is the honoree as the Ifugao Boy Wonder is expected to make a splash soon in the international scene.
Newly minted national juniors chess champion and the first Cordillera Woman National Master Mhage Gerryhilou Sebastian will receive her plaque for her achievement.
After three years of absence, former Southeast Asian Games bronze medal winner Katherine Khaye Santos will be honored after winning the 100 meter run and long jump events in the Ayala Philippine Athletic Championship in December last year against a tough competition including Olympian long jump artist Maristella Torres-Sunang.
Santos will finalize her return to the national team with a win on February 27.
Bodybuilding couple Reynold and Leigh Domalsin will also be feted along with car racing champion Inigo Anton and international referee Ferdinand Pascual.
Team Lakay’s remaining champion Joshua Pacio is top MMA player of the year after concluding his epic fight with Japanese rival Yosuke Saruta. Joining him are ONE debutante Stephen Loman and Jhanlo Sangiao.
Included also in the awards are councilor Levy Lloyd Orcales, who worked hard to have the Comprehensive Sports a reality and Benguet Rep. Eric Yap for his efforts to construct a world-class track and field venue in Buyagan, Ta Trinidad.
Artists Gladys Labsan and Team Lakay stalwart Harold Banario will be recognized for their mural works on athletes at the athletic bowl.
MSD is composed of local journalists including Roderick Osis, Jordan Tablac of Bombo Radyo, Miguelito Velarde, Aldwin Quitasol and Pigeon Lobien. SCORE
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