Ilongga pride Kimberly Anne Custodio will be one of the awardees at the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night.
The pride of Oton, Iloilo made the country proud after snatching the gold medal in the 2022 JJIF Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Custodio, a product of Carpe Diem Philippines and MDS Jiu-Jitsu Iloilo, ruled the women’s -45 kilogram division, hammering Kacie Pechrada Tan of Thailand, 6-4, in a scintillating finals clash.
The never-say-die spirit of a true-blooded Ilongga was proven after she eliminated Sakaew Tadaporn in the semifinal, 14-0, after upsetting hometown bet Hamdah Al Shkeili, 14-0, in the quarterfinal.
Aside from Custodio, world champions Carlos Yulo and EJ Obiena, along with history maker Philippine women’s football team will be the recipient of Major Awards in next month’s
To recall, Yulo clinched a silver and bronze in the men’s vault and parallel bars during the 51st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Liverpool England. Aside from his World Championship stint, Yulo, 22 also won three gold medals in the 9th Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar, following his first place finishes in the vault, parallel bars, and floor exercise, while adding a silver in the all-around. The feat enabled him to earn an outright berth in the World Artistic Gymnastics.
Meanwhile, Obiena vaulted to a new Asian-high mark of 5.94 meters on his way to bagging a historic bronze in the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. Obiena also topped a number of pole vault tournaments in Europe and retained his gold in the Vietnam SEA Games by setting a new meet record of 5.46 meters at the My Dinh National Stadium.
Being new in the list, Filipinas will also receive the award after punching a first ever ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup following their third place finish in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup under coach Alen Stajcic. The Filipinas added to their FIFA World Cup ticket a first ever title in the Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship, which they ruled following a 3-0 shutout of four-time champion Thailand in the gold medal play.
Boxer Carlo Paalam, jui-jitsu bet Meggie Ochoa, karateka Junna Tsukii, pool players Rubilen Amit, Carlo Biado, and Johann Chua, weightlifter Vanessa Sarno, the volleyball duo of Jovelyn Gonzaga and Sisi Rondina, Esports organization Blacklist International, jockey Jessie Guce, and champion horse Boss Emong will also included in the list.
The country’s first ever Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz is the recipient of the coveted Athlete of the Year award for the second straight time.IMT Sports
