Who will be Athlete of the Year?

The end of 2025 is fast approaching and there’s still no clarity as to who deserves to be the country’s Athlete of the Year. The top candidates are tennis’ Alex Eala, gymnastics’ Carlos Yulo, pole vault’s EJ Obiena, golf’s Miguel Tabuena, world boxing champions Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran, cue artists Carlo Biado, Jonas Magpantay and Chezka Centeno and jiu jitsu’s Annie Ramirez and Kimberly Custodio.

Eala, 20, is the first and only Philippine tennis player, male or female, to crack the world’s top 50 ranking and did it with a flourish this year. Last March, Eala went all the way to the Miami Open semifinals, becoming the only wildcard ever to oust three major champions in straight sets at a single WTA event and later, pocketed her first WTA 135 title in Guadalajara. With her charisma, courage and charm, Eala has mesmerized the tennis world. She’s the new darling of the circuit, bringing honor to her country as a Pied Pier enticing fans to follow her journey wherever the road takes her.

Yulo, 25, claimed golds in vault and floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics and this year, continued to dominate. The 4-11 dynamo clinched gold in floor exercise at the Asian Championships in Jecheon and did the same at the World Championships in Jakarta where he added bronzes in all-around, vault and parallel bars to his collection.

Obiena, who turns 30 on Nov. 17, has slid from No. 2 to No. 11 on the world pole vault ladder but this year, still managed to pick up several golds despite failing to clear over 5.80. He didn’t qualify for the World Indoor Championships and didn’t make it to the final of the World Outdoor Championships but captured his third straight gold at the Asian Championships and topped the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge. He also earned golds in Metz, France and Torun, Poland.

Tabuena, 31, is the most successful Filipino golfer on the Asian Tour, winning his fourth title at the International Series Philippines in Sta. Elena last month. He has bankrolled over $3 million on the Tour, taking his first title at the Philippine Open in 2015, second at the Queen’s Cup in Thailand in 2018 and third at the DGC Open in India in 2023. Tabuena has won 15 tournaments on the Philippine Golf Tour.

Jerusalem, 31, repulsed two challengers in retaining his WBC minimumweight title this year while Taduran, 29, also made two successful title defenses of his IBF 105-pound strap. They’re the only two Filipino world champions to date. WBA interim bantamweight titlist Nonito Donaire Jr. takes on champion in-recess Seiya Tsutsumi in Tokyo on Dec. 17 and the winner will likely be elevated to “super” championship status.

Biado, 42, won the WPA World 9-Ball Championship this year and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. Magpantay, 31, took the 2025 Qatar World Cup 10-Ball crown at the Ezdan Palace Hotel in Doha. Centeno, 26, nailed the 2025 WPA World 10-Ball Championship in Indonesia.

Ramirez, 34, clinched gold in the 57kg division at the Jiu Jitsu International Federation World Championships in Bangkok early this month while Custodio, 38, bagged gold in the 45kg class in the same competition. 

While every candidate deserves recognition, Eala appears to be in the best position to take Athlete of the Year honors.