Gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo and tennis ace Alex Eala headline the list of top contenders for the 2025 Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Athlete of the Year award.
Yulo, a Paris Olympics double-gold medalist, capped another stellar season by ruling the vault event at the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, where he also secured a bronze medal in the floor exercise. The 25-year-old further bolstered his resume with a gold medal in the floor exercise and three bronze medals at the Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Jecheon, South Korea.
Eala, 20, continued to break barriers in women’s tennis after becoming the first Filipina to crack the top 50 of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, highlighted by a semifinal finish at the Miami Open in March. She also captured her first WTA 125 title in Mexico and delivered the Philippines’ first women’s tennis gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in 26 years.
Also in contention for the prestigious award, to be conferred by the country’s oldest sports media organization on Feb. 2 at the Diamond Hotel Manila, are golfer Miguel Tabuena, billiards star Chezka Centeno, and swimmer Kayla Sanchez.
Tabuena topped the International Series Philippines, the biggest golf tournament ever staged in the country, which featured world-class players such as Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed. His victory earned him a prize of USD 360,000.
Centeno showcased her dominance in billiards by ruling the World Pool Association Women’s 10-Ball Championship, defeating fellow Filipino Rubilen Amit in the finals.
Sanchez, meanwhile, made a sensational debut at the 33rd SEA Games, hauling in eight medals — three golds and five silvers — to emerge as the most bemedalled Filipino athlete in the biennial meet.
Aside from the Athlete of the Year honor, the PSA will also present the President’s Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Executive of the Year, National Sports Association of the Year, as well as other major awards, citations, special recognitions, the Tony Siddayao Award, and the Milo Junior Athletes of the Year. (PNA | Jean Malanum)
