Not all their exploits translated to victories, but their inspiring stories were enough to make an entire nation truly proud of them.
How can one ignore the gutsy stand put up by taekwondo jin Mary Antoinette Rivero and archer Jasmin Figueroa in the Athens Olympics or of Alex Pagulayan, carrying the Canadian color but remaining very much Filipino at heart, winning the big one in the World Pool Championship in Taipei.
Definitely not the Filipino people. Moreso, the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA).
So on January 13 at the Manila Pavilion, Pagulayan, Rivero and Figueroa will each be the recipient of a special award from the 90-member association during its Annual Awards Night for the year 2004.
The three are among the top achievers for the year about to end to be honored by the country?s oldest media organization in a simple, 90-minute rite sponsored by Red Bull, Agfa Colors, Photokina, PAGCOR, San Miguel Beer, the Philippine Sports Commission and NBN-4 as its carrier station.
Lovely golfer Jennifer Rosales and boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao have been named Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year awardee, respectively, the highest accolade given by the PSA.
Before a hostile crowd in Taipei last July, the 26-year old Pagulayan shot to fame as he turned back local bet Chang Pei-wei in the final match, 17-13, to win the 2004 World Pool Championship.
In front of a worldwide audience, a jubilant Pagulayan offered the victory to the Filipino people.
?I know the people in the Philippines are rooting for me and I dedicate this victory to all the Filipinos who have been very supportive,? said the 26-year old Pagulayan in a post-game interview.
He later took the first flight out of Taipei to Manila along with patron Putch Puyat and celebrated the victory in the country for about a week.
In winning the world?s 9-ball title, Pagulayan became only the second Filipino after the legendary Efren ?Bata? Reyes to win one of billiards? most prestigious titles.
And proof of his desire to represent the country in future international meets, he later applied and was granted dual citizenship.
A month after Pagulayan?s stirring triumph, it was Rivero and Figueroa?s turn to shine in the Summer Games.
Like Pagulayan, Rivero was also up against a hostile hometown crowd cheering on Greek heroine Elisavet Mystakidou in the semifinals of taekwondo?s under-67 division.
Unmindful of the bumps and bruises, the 16-year old lass gave her all and came close to winning a sure silver medal, only to lose to the Greek by the slimmest of margin, 2-3.
?It hurts. I know I could have won,? said Rivero.
She fought a good fight in the consolation round, but couldn?t carry on and bowed out of contention with a 2-6 defeat at the hands of Korean Sun Hwang Kyung.
?She may not have won a medal, but certainly she won the hearts of many who saw her perform,? said former Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Celso Dayrit of Rivero?s fearless stance.
A little older than Rivero was Figueroa, whose fiery performance in the archery range was also a source of pride for the 16-man RP delegation to the Athens Games.
The young archer from Tondo put on a dazzling show in the round of 64 of the individual competition, her final arrow hitting the target and knocking off former world champion and two-time Olympic medalist Natalie Valeeva of Italy, 132-130.
?I told myself to just let go and trust the One above,? a teary-eyed Figueroa said after the stunning win. ??I did not expect to win.All I wanted was to improve on my record (152). If I did that, it was OK for me.?
The 19-year old Figueroa almost repeated the trick in the round of 32 ? the first ever Filipina to make it this far in the Olympics ? but lost a heartbreaker to World University Games silver medalist Almudena Gallardo of Spain, 150-152.
Nonetheless, she established herself as the best Filipino archer to compete in the Summer Games following her 27th finish in Athens, eclipsing the previous best of 37th made by Francisco Naranjilla Jr. in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
