MIGUEL MOLINA

For fighting their hearts out and making the country proud in the 25th Southeast Asian Games, Filipino gold medal winners in the meet Vientiane, Laos hosted for the first time will be honored with a special award by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) during its Annual Awards Night presented by Coca-Cola.

Double gold medalist Miguel Molina leads the SEA Games heroes and heroines the country’s sportswriting fraternity will be greatly toasting in the rite set March 1 at the Manila Hotel.

The Philippines bagged a total of 38 gold medals to finish a fighting fifth in the two-week long biennial event.

A major part of that winning group includes pool player Rubilen Amit, taekwondo jins Janice Lagman, Camille Alarilla and Rani Ann Ortega and long jumper Marestella Torres, all of whom will be the recipients of the coveted Athlete of the Year trophy being handed out by the oldest media organization in the Philippines composed of editors and sportswriters from the daily broadsheets and tabloids.

The others like women’s boxer Annie Albania, tennis star Cecil Mamiit and lady golfer Chihiro Ikeda, judoka John Baylon and trackster Arniel Ferreira, meanwhile, will be conferred with major awards during the celebration also presented by Smart, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Pacific Online System Corporation, Harbour Centre and PCSO.

President Macapagal-Arroyo has been invited as special guest during the formal ceremony honoring the athletes, personalities and entities that excelled in 2009.

Boxing great Manny Pacquiao heads the year’s honor roll list as he will be conferred with the Athlete of the Decade award.

Meanwhile, Don Enrico has been chosen as major awardee for Horse of the Year.

Other than Albania, Mamiit, Ikeda, Baylon and Ferreira, joining the multi-titled chestnut colt in the major award category are chess sensation Wesley So, pool greats Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, tennis player Francis Casey Alcantara, golfer Elmer Salvador, jockey Jesse B. Guce, cyclist Joel Calderon, Barangay Ginebra stalwart JayJay Helterbrand and the five boxers who reigned as world champions last year, namely Nonito Donaire Jr., Brian Viloria, Rodel Mayol, Marvin Sonsona, and Donnie Nietes.