Drawing strength from another banner year, the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas will be presented with a special honor in the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night on 6 March at the Diamond Hotel.
The federation once more is going to be the recipient of the National Sports Association of the Year award from the country’s oldest media organization following its successful campaigns from the Southeast Asian region all the way to the worlds anchored on Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
The 32-year-old Diaz, stamped her class in the 88th IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Bogota, Colombia with a three-gold sweep of the women’s 55kg class, in a fitting follow-up to last year’s historic milestone when she gave the country its very Olympic gold during the Tokyo Games.
For her back-to-back golden triumphs, the pride of Zamboanga City will be the recipient of the PSA Athlete of the Year award for the second straight time.
Can the SWP be far behind?
In the wake of Diaz’s Olympic feat, the federation was likewise named NSA of the Year in 2021 along with the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines, a special award it will receive by its lonesome in the gala night presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cignal TV, with able support from the Philippine Olympic Committee, Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, MILO, Smart, MVP Sports Foundation, Rain or Shine, 1Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero, Philippine Basketball Association, OKBet, ICTSI, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
The weightlifting association led by president Monico Puentevella, however, is more than just Diaz.
Although Diaz successfully retained her gold in the women’s 55kg in the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam, Vanessa Sarno began to make her presence felt.
