ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio bannered the ONE Championship stars in the recently concluded 2020 SMC-Philippine Sportswriters Association awards night last Friday, March 6, at the Manila Hotel.
Joining Pacio were his teammates, top women’s strawweight Gina “Conviction” Iniong and ONE Warrior Series rising star Jerry “The Bokodian Warrior” Olsim, who also received citations for their contributions to Philippine sports in 2019.
It was the second straight year that the award-giving body has honored Pacio. He also led the five-man team from The Home Of Martial Arts that were awarded last year.
Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, and Brandon “The Truth” Vera all received recognition the previous year for winning World Titles in The Home Of Martial Arts.
Now, the 24-year-old stands tall as one of the few World Champions in the Philippines, and he plans to hold it for a long time.
“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, meanwhile, were part of the Team Philippines, who were later named the Athletes of the Year.
The pair were part of the delegation in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. They both took home gold medals in kickboxing under the tutelage of Mark Sangiao.
It was a legendary night, since it marked the year where the greatest pool player of all time in Efren “Bata” Reyes received the Lifetime Achievement Award for the countless times he carried the country on his shoulders in pool and billiards.
The Philippine Sportswriters Association is the oldest media organization in the Philippines, founded in 1949. The selection committee is composed of editors, veteran reporters, and columnists from print media and select online outlets.
Up next, ONE Championship unleashes ONE INFINITY 1 on April 10 at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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