ONE Championship was once again well represented in the recently concluded 2020 SMC-Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards at the Manila Hotel last Friday, 6 March.
Reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio was honored alongside teammates Gina “Conviction” Iniong and ONE Warrior Series stalwart Jerry “The Bokodian Warrior” Olsim for an exemplary year in Philippine sports.
Pacio was given citation for the second straight year as he successfully reclaimed and defended the ONE Strawweight World Title in 2019.
The 24-year-old wushu specialist scored a sensational knockout win over Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta to reclaim his belt before defending it near the end of the year against Rene “The Challenger” Catalan.
“It’s an honor to be a part of this again. I am grateful to be recognized and I hope that I can continue to inspire many others with awards like this,” Pacio said.
Iniong and Olsim, on the other hand, were part of Team Philippines who won gold medals in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and were later named the Athletes of the Year.
Both athletes took home gold medals in kickboxing in the biennial games, which concluded last December. Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao also had a huge hand in those victories as he coached the kickboxing contingency in the competition.
Founded in 1949, the Philippine Sportswriters Association is the oldest media organization in the Philippines, and their annual awards are one of the biggest honors an athlete can receive in the Philippines.
The selection committee is composed of editors, veteran reporters, and columnists from established print and online publications.
The Home Of Martial Arts have always been a staple in the PSA awards night. Last year, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, and Brandon “The Truth” Vera were honored for their accomplishments in mixed martial arts.
Up next, ONE Championship unleashes ONE INFINITY 1 on 10 April at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.