Annual SAC awards Calamba is “Athlete of the Year”

CEBU, Philippines - Multi-titled jin Mikaela Calamba shone the brightest among the top performing Cebuano athletes of 2012 after she was crowned “Athlete of the Year” during the 31st Sportswriters Association of Cebu-San Miguel Brewery (SAC-SMB) All-Cebu  Sports Awards yesterday at the SM City-Cebu North Wing.

The accolade came as a complete surprise for the 15-year-old 1st dan black-belter as she thought that she was only one of the major awardees.

“I’m so surprised, happy and blessed to be named ‘Athlete of the Year’. I’m so thankful to all those who  have supported me to be where I am today,” said Calamba, a junior student at the University of San Carlos-North Campus.

Calamba snared the most prestigious awards during the annual event bankrolled by San Miguel Brewery mainly for being the first and only Filipino gold medallist during the 7th World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Tunja, Colombia.

Aside from her golden performance, Calamba also helped the Phl women’s team win bronze in the team competition even though she is still a junior division player.

Prior to her Colombia sojourn, Calamba was also part of the Phl women’s team that won silver medal in the World Taekwondo Hanmadang Championships held at the Gangnam-gu in Seoul, South Korea. She also bagged silver in the 7th Korea Open on top of reaping several golds in national tournaments last year.

Calamba’s achievements only proves that anything is possible if one strives hard and be serious with what they do.

Calamba said winning the award entails a lot of pressure for her, but she also perceives it as an added challenge to even scale greater heights in her chosen field.

“Nakadagdag gyud ni siya og pressure but it also made me realize to do something better,” said Calamba, who is eyeing for a medal finish in the Myanmar SEA Games medal later this year.

Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) regional chairman Tony del Prado couldn't be even more prouder with Calamba's feat.

“It has indeed opened the minds of our athletes here that to be an ‘Athlete of the Year’ is achievable. Imagine, a 15 year-old did it, so they too can do it,” said Del Prado, who was also cited for his invaluable contribution to Cebu sports.

For Ricky Dakay, president of the Cebu Football Association (CFA) that was honored as “Sportsman of the Year”,  the event is a time for reflection, even as it also inspired them to do better.

“In this auspicious moment, let us take notice of where we stand and draw meaningful breath from it and ask ourselves what are we going to do, what are we going to do next? I hope that we see our roles as not merely to display the achievements of the past, but to extend influences into present and future,” said Dakay, who is this year's Presidential Awardee’.

More to it, Dakay stressed that the very heart of sports lies in the very simple act of togetherness.

“Let us continue then to share with each other, our hopes, aspirations, and the honesty of our dreams,”

Aside from Calamba, Dakay and the CFA, the magnanimous-hearted Cebuana tennis princess Sally Mae Siso was also honored with the “Orlacsan Award” for her one-of-a kind act of sportsmanship.

In one event in Palawan, Siso experienced what could be the most humiliating experience as a tennis player, yet she did not file any protest, bad-mouth or made negative comments towards her opponent and her handlers. She even felt sorry for whatever inconvenience she had caused to the player involved and her coach when it was supposed to be her that should given a well-deserved apology. (FREEMAN)